PHILADELPHIA – The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team erased a 12-point first-half deficit as four double-figure scorers helped the Hawks outlast Drexel 57-55 on Saturday to earn a spot in the Big 5 championship game.

St. Joe's meets Villanova in the championship game of the Big 5 Classic on Sunday, Dec. 7 after both teams finished undefeated in their pods.

 
FIRST QUARTER

• Saint Joseph's (6-1) was held to just one basket over the first five minutes as Drexel (4-3) built a 6-2 lead heading into the media timeout.
• Baskets by Aleah Snead and Gabby Casey cut the deficit to two points, but the Dragons responded with an 8-0 run over the final 3:11 to take a 16-6 lead into the second quarter.

 
SECOND QUARTER

• Trailing 23-14, Faith Stinson led the Hawks to an 8-0 run, scoring on a string of three possessions that finished with back-to-back 3-pointers from Rhian Stokes and Casey to pull within one.
• Laine McGurk responded with back-to-back triples of her own to extend the lead to 29-22.
• An and-one by Aleah Snead cut the Hawk deficit to 29-25 with under a minute to play as the Hawks went into halftime trailing by four.

 
THIRD QUARTER

• Casey and Stinson opened the second half with 3-pointers to give the Hawks their first lead since 2-0.
• Drexel was able to regain an advantage with 5:44 to play before Stokes and Casey pushed the Hawks in front, 37-35, at the media timeout.
• Stokes buried a 3-pointer for a six-point lead with 1:57 to play, but the Dragons answered with the final seven points of the quarter to take a 45-44 lead into the final frame.

 
FOURTH QUARTER

• The teams traded baskets over the opening three minutes before a pair of free throws from Stinson and a Jill Jekot 3-pointer from the corner gave the Hawks a 53-51 lead heading into the final media timeout.
• Amaris Baker broke nearly a three-minute drought from both teams to tie the game with 3:20 to play.
• After an overturned out of bounds call gave the Hawks a second possession, Stinson capitalized on an assist from Stokes to push the Hawks back ahead, 55-53, with 2:00 remaining.
• A pair of free throws from Stokes with 4.9 seconds left gave the Hawks a four-point lead, holding on for a 57-55 win to advance to the Big 5 Championship

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Gabby Casey led the Hawks with 16 points, scoring in double-digits in all seven games this season. The junior added six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
• Aleah Snead recorded back-to-back double-doubles after posting her first in the win against Penn. Snead scored 11 points to go along with a career-high 12 rebounds.
• Rhian Stokes matched her season high with 14 points and tied her career-high with five rebounds.
• Faith Stinson was the fourth Hawk to record double figures with 11 points. The Hawks have won 24 straight when four players score 10 or more points, including a 4-0 record this season.
• Saint Joseph's finished the game 21-for-55 (38.2%) from the floor, connecting on six of its 17 3-point attempts for a 35.3 percent clip. Drexel finished 20-for-53 (37.7%) from the field and 6-for-12 (50%) from distance.
• Amaris Baker (22) and Laine McGurk (20) combined for 42 of the Dragons' 55 points.
• The 12-point deficit was the largest St. Joe's has overcome this season and was only the second time of the year the Hawks trailed by 10 or more points.
• Saint Joseph's has won four straight games against Drexel, improving to 14-10 all-time against the Dragons. The Hawks are 9-3 overall at home in the series.
• St. Joe's finishes the month of November 6-1 and are 23-2 in the month since 2022-23.

 
UP NEXT
Saint Joseph's opens Atlantic 10 play on Wednesday, Dec. 3. The Hawks host Rhode Island in Hagan Arena at 7 p.m.