VILLANOVA, Pa. – Despite a career-high 23 points from Rhian Stokes, Saint Joseph's fell 76-70 to Villanova on Sunday afternoon in the Big 5 Classic championship game at Finneran Pavilion.
 
FIRST QUARTER

• Villanova (8-2) opened with seven of the first 10 points to take a 7-3 lead just over four minutes into the game.
• Rhian Stokes countered with a three before back-to-back baskets from Gabby Casey gave Saint Joseph's (6-3) a 7-0 run to take the lead.
• After Villanova's Jasmine Bascoe tied the game with a 3-pointer, Casey responded by stripping a Wildcat of a defensive rebound and knocking down a wide-open three of her own.
• Baskets by Jill Jekot and Aleah Snead kept the Hawks ahead, taking a 19-16 lead into the second quarter.  

 
SECOND QUARTER

• The teams traded the lead three times to open the second quarter before an 8-0 Villanova run gave the hosts a 29-23 lead.
• The Wildcats stretched the lead to as many as 11 points with 1:46 to play in the half.
• Casey collected her 10^th point to end a small Villanova run before back-to-back 3-pointers from Stokes cut the deficit to 35-32 entering halftime.

 
THIRD QUARTER

• Snead scored the first six points for the Hawks coming out of the break to reach double figures.
• Villanova built a six-point lead before back-to-back baskets, including a 3-pointer, from Faith Stinson cut the deficit to one.
• Both teams traded baskets through the remainder of the quarter as the Wildcats built five-point advantage with 10 minutes to play.

 
FOURTH QUARTER

• Stokes began the quarter with consecutive three-point plays, knocking down a 3-pointer before finishing an and-one to cut the lead to 60-58.
• A Casey tip-in as the shot clock expired and a 3-pointer of her own helped countered the hosts' scoring and cut the lead to two with 5:35 to play.
• The Hawks fell into a three-minute drought, and the Wildcats took advantage with a 7-0 run to extend the advantage to nine with less than three minutes remaining.
• Despite a late rally, the Hawks were unable to close the gap enough as Villanova escaped with a 76-70 win.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Rhian Stokes scored 14 of her game-high 23 points in the second half, setting a new career high for a second straight game. She finished a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range and 7-for-7 from the free throw line. Stokes set new career-highs in 3-pointers (4) and assists (6) while adding four rebounds.
• Gabby Casey returned to the starting lineup and added 19 points for her seventh straight game in double figures to start the season. Casey added eight rebounds and four assists while matching a career-high four steals.
• Aleah Snead was the third Hawk in double figures, finishing with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
• Faith Stinson added nine points, five rebounds and matched a career-high with five blocks. Her five blocks were the first by a Hawk in a game since March 2024.
• Saint Joseph's finished 25-for-61 (41.0%) from the floor while connecting on 8-for-16 (50%) attempts from distance. The Hawks were 12-for-15 (80%) from the free throw line.
• Villanova was led by 21 points from Brynn McCurry, the Wildcats finishing the game 25-60 (41.7%) from the field, 13-for-24 (54.2%) from 3-point range, and 13-for-16 (81.3%) from the charity stripe. Villanova is the fourth opponent to finish at least 50% from 3-point field goals on the season.

 
UP NEXT
Saint Joseph's takes a 13-day break before returning to action for the Hawk Classic inside Hagan Arena on Saturday, Dec. 20. St. Joe's opens the two-day tournament with Le Moyne at 12 p.m.