VILLANOVA, Pa. – Saint Joseph's women's basketball looks to claim the city crown on Sunday afternoon as the Hawks meet Villanova in the Big 5 Classic championship game at Finneran Pavilion.
 

Saint Joseph's (6-2) at Villanova (7-2)
Date: Sunday, December 7
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Site: Villanova, Pa. | Finneran Pavilion
TV: NBCSP+ / YouTube (Steve Pinone, Christine Motta)
Series History: Saint Joseph's leads 28-24 (17-8 home, 9-15 away, 0-1 neutral, 0-2 in unknown designation)
 
SAINT JOSEPH'S  SCHEDULE | ROSTER | STATS
VILLANOVA         SCHEDULE | ROSTER | STATS
 
 
OPENING TIP
Saint Joseph's returns to nonconference action on Sunday, facing Villanova in the Big 5 Classic championship game with a city title on the line.
 
Both the Hawks and Wildcats went 2-0 in their pods, setting up a marquee matchup in the tripleheader. St. Joe's defeated Penn 74-53 at the Palestra and edged Drexel 57-55 inside Hagan Arena.
 
Aleah Snead scored in double figures for the sixth time this season, finishing with 13 points in the Hawks' loss to Rhode Island in their Atlantic 10 opener.
 
Rhian Stokes recorded a career-high 16 points against the Rams, while Cecilia Kay delivered her best outing as a Hawk with 13 points off the bench.
 
The Hawks and Wildcats meet for the third time in 371 days and the fifth time in the last three seasons, having played twice in both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns.
 
 
SHARING IS CARING
The Hawks lead the country with a 74.3 percent assist rate, assisting on 139 of their 187 field goals through the opening eight games.
 
This season, the Hawks are in the top 40 in both assist/turnover ratio (1.19) and in assists per game (17.4), leading the A-10.
 
 
POD PLAY
The Hawks finished Big 5 pod play 2-0, collecting wins over Penn and Drexel. Saint Joseph's advances to its first championship game under the new format and seeks its second Big 5 title in the last two seasons after winning in 2023-24.
 
 
ABOUT ST. JOE'S
The Hawks replace four players from last year's starting lineup. Only Gabby Casey (33) entered the season having started seven or more games last year. Aleah Snead (6), Rhian Stokes (4) and Kaylie Griffin (1) also made starts in 2024-25.
 
Saint Joseph's has 15 players on the 2025-26 roster, representing four states and four countries excluding the United States. Amar Mansour (Lebanon) and Emirson Devenie (Australia) are the first Hawks to represent those countries, while Meja Jägerskog (Sweden) and Olivia Lutterodt (Denmark) are each the second player to join the program from their respective countries.
 
Eight newcomers joined the Hawks over the offseason, four coming by way of the transfer portal while Coach Griffin and company signed four freshmen to the team. Jill Jekot (Penn State), Cecilia Kay (American), Amar Mansour (Missouri Baptist) and Faith Stinson (IU Indy) transferred in to Hawk Hill, while Lutterodt, Kaylinn Bethea, Rian Dotsey and Emily Knouse will all make their debut in 2025-26.
 
 
SERIES HISTORY
Saint Joseph's leads the all-time series 28-24 entering the 53rd meeting. The teams have met twice in each of the last two seasons, with Villanova holding a 3-1 advantage over that span.