PHILADELPHIA – A fourth-quarter rally brought the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team within six, but Penn State held off the comeback effort as the Hawks dropped an 89–77 decision Sunday afternoon at Hagan Arena.
 

FIRST QUARTER

• Saint Joseph's opened the scoring immediately as Jill Jekot controlled the tip and converted a fast-break layup. Gabby Casey and Aleah Snead followed with a quick 5-0 burst to give the Hawks a 9-3 lead just over two minutes in.
• Snead and Casey knocked down back-to-back threes to stretch the advantage to eight, but a 5-0 Penn State run trimmed the margin to 15-12 at the media timeout.
• St. Joe's responded with a 7-2 surge to push the lead to 22-14 before the Nittany Lions closed the quarter on a 6-0 run, cutting the Hawk advantage to 22-20.

 
SECOND QUARTER

• Penn State carried its momentum into the second frame, scoring the first 10 points to fuel a 15-0 run and force a Saint Joseph's timeout.
• Consecutive threes extended the Nittany Lion run to 21-0 before Casey's free throws finally halted the stretch. The points sparked a 12-5 response for the Hawks, pulling within 40-34 before Penn State quickly pushed the margin back to double digits.
• St. Joe's closed strong, hitting three threes over the final 2:27 and using an 11-2 run to pull within 47-45 at halftime.

 
THIRD QUARTER

• Penn State opened the half on another run, this time an 11-1 burst to reestablish a double-digit lead.
• A three from Kaylie Griffin steadied the Hawks, who answered with a 7-2 stretch and traded baskets the rest of the way as Penn State carried a 68-58 lead into the fourth.

 
FOURTH QUARTER

• Penn State outscored the Hawks 7-0 to start the period, building its largest lead at 17.
• Saint Joseph's battled back with an 8-0 run and later cut the margin to six with 3:13 remaining.
• The Nittany Lions held off the late push to secure the 89-77 win.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Gabby Casey paced the Hawks with a career-high 24 points, going 6-for-10 from three to set a new personal best. She added four assists and three rebounds.
• Her six threes marked just the second time since 2019-20 that a Hawk hit at least six in a game, joining Mackenzie Smith's performance against Maine on Dec. 9, 2024.
• Aleah Snead finished just shy of her career high with 21 points on 8-for-14 shooting. She tallied a career-best four threes, along with six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
• Saint Joseph's had multiple 20-point scorers for the first time since Nov. 22, 2024.
• Faith Stinson added 10 points as the third Hawk in double figures.
• Cecilia Kay chipped in eight points, while Griffin tied for the team lead with four assists.
• The Hawks shot 25-for-71 from the floor and set a program record with 39 three-point attempts, making 15 (38.5%). They also went 12-for-14 (85.7%) from the line.
• Penn State shot 57.4% (35-for-61), marking the ninth-highest opponent field-goal percentage against SJU since 1982-83. The Nittany Lions also hit 70.6% from three—the third-highest opponent mark and the best by any opponent with at least 10 attempts.
• Four Penn State players scored in double figures, led by Gracie Merkle's 25 points and 11 rebounds. Tea Cleante added 23 points while shooting 9-for-11 from the floor and 5-for-6 from deep.
• Penn State improved to 24-9 all-time against Saint Joseph's.

 
UP NEXT
Saint Joseph's heads to New York for a midweek matchup at Columbia on Thursday, Nov. 20. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m.