PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – A dominant second-half display powered the Saint Joseph's women's basketball to a 69-46 win over West Chester on Tuesday evening at Hagan Arena, as six Hawks scored in their debuts to open the 2025-26 season with a victory.
 
FIRST QUARTER

• Saint Joseph's (1-0) opened the game with five points on its first two possessions. Faith Stinson scored her first basket as a Hawk before Rhian Stokes knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner to give the hosts a 5-0 lead.
• Cecilia Kay fought on the glass to grab consecutive offensive boards before finishing under the basket for her first points in the Crimson and Gray to push the Hawks ahead, 9-7.
• Despite the start, the offense fell cold for a spell to finish the frame as West Chester finished the quarter on an 8-1 run to take a 15-12 lead after the opening quarter.

 
SECOND QUARTER

• Trailing by five, Emily Knouse buried her first 3-pointer before Aleah Snead leveled the game after forcing a steal on the other end.
• Knouse and Jill Jekot recorded back-to-back 3-pointers to retake the lead at 23-19, but the Golden Rams fought back to tie the game at 26-26 with 52 seconds remaining.
• With the last possession, St. Joe's worked the ball around to find a wide-open Jekot in the corner. The sophomore fired from the corner and knocked down her attempt to give the Hawks a 29-26 lead at the break.

 
THIRD QUARTER

• Both teams struggled from the floor, coming out of the break, combining for just six points in the first four minutes. The Hawks were able to find their rhythm, busting out an 11-0 run led by four points each from Casey and Jekot to extend the advantage to 42-30.
• Casey capped off the quarter with a double team on the defensive end, ripping the ball out of her opponent's arms and capping off the play with a give-and-go with Knouse to take a 48-36 lead into the final 10 minutes.

 
FOURTH QUARTER

• Knouse opened up the quarter with her third 3-pointer of the game, sparking a 7-1 run to go up 55-37.
• The Hawks cruised with 14 of the final 17 points of the contest, highlighted by a step-through layup from Olivia Lutterodt and a scoop-and-score from Rhian Stokes over the final 36 seconds to give the Hawks a 69-46 victory.

 
 
HAWK DEBUTS

• Six of the seven players that made their St. Joe's debut scored on the evening.
• Jill Jekot's 20 points marked the second-most points scored in a Hawk debut, falling three points shy of matching the record. Her three steals tied for fifth-most in program history, while her six made free throw tied for third.
• Cecilia Kay's 11 rebounds finished tied for the third-most rebounds in debut history, one of 10 Hawks to record multiple blocks in their first career game for St. Joe's.
• Emily Knouse finished with nine points with three three-pointers, finishing one shy of matching the program record.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Jekot led all scorers with 20 points, adding six rebounds and three steals. A transfer from Penn State, Jekot scored 18 points in her only season with the Nittany Lions. Her 20 points surpass her sister Katie Jekot, who scored 16 points in her Hawk debut in 2018-19.
• Gabby Casey recorded her first career double-double in the win, scoring 13 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Five of her 10 rebounds came on the offensive glass, while the junior filled the stat sheet with four steals and three assists.
• Cecilia Kay grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Hawks, only Teresa Carmichael (Nov. 26, 1983) and Amy Mallon (Dec. 1, 1992) recording more rebounds in their debut, with 15 rebounds.
• Aleah Snead added seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.
• Knouse led the team in points off the bench, finishing 3-for-8 from distance for nine points.
• The Hawks outrebounded the Golden Rams by 50-27, grabbing 22 offensive rebounds in the win. It was the fifth time since the 2018-19 season that the Hawks recorded 20 or more offensive rebounds and the fourth time that they have registered 50 or more rebounds.
• St. Joe's assisted on 20 of its 25 made baskets, dishing out helpers on 80 percent of makes. SJU scored 31 points off of West Chester's 22 turnovers, while doubling up the Golden Rams 32-16 in points in the paint.
• The Hawks have won the last seven home openers, while head coach Cindy Griffin moved to 20-5 in home openers in her Hawk Hill tenure.
• The teams met for the first time since the NCAA divisional split in 1983. St. Joe's moved to 10-0 all-time against West Chester.

 
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks return to action on Friday, Nov. 7, taking on Maine for the first road trip of the season.