PHILADELPHIA – Laura Ziegler scored 19 of her game-high 27 points in the first half to help lead Saint Joseph's to its seventh-consecutive victory, defeating Saint Louis 69-49 on Wednesday evening inside Hagan Arena.
 
Ziegler led the Hawks with her 27 points, adding 10 rebounds for her 17^th double-double of the season. Mackenzie Smith added 17 points, while Aleah Snead continues to shine in the starting lineup with 13 points and eight rebounds.
 
Tierra Simon paced Saint Louis with 14 points. Peyton Kennedy was the only other Billiken with double-digit scoring, finishing the night with 10 points.
 
A pair of runs encapsulated the opening 10 minutes after Saint Joseph's (18-4, 9-2 Atlantic 10) was the benefactor of eight-unanswered points in the early stages. Saint Louis (9-14, 3-7 Atlantic 10) responded with an 11-0 run to take a one-point lead into the second frame. St. Joe's limited the Billikens to under 20 percent from the field in the second quarter, while runs of eight- and nine-unanswered points at the start and finish of the quarter helped the Hawks grow a 44-25 lead at the half.
 
The Hawk defense forced the Billikens into eight turnovers while giving up just 24 points on 36.0 percent shooting in the second half. Saint Louis never cut the gap below 12 points as St. Joe's earned the seventh win in as many games with a 69-49 victory.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Ziegler finished 13-23 (56.5%) from the field, including 12-17 (70.6%) from inside the perimeter. The junior has now eclipsed 1,200 career points, ranking 18^th in program history with 1,213 points. Ziegler added four assists and three blocks to her double-double night, moving into a tie for seventh place in program history with 95 career blocks.
• Smith sits 24 points shy of Megan Compain (1993-97) for ninth in scoring in program history. The senior matched her season-high with four assists, adding six rebounds in the win. Smith is just 12 rebounds shy of recording her 500^th career rebound and would be the third Hawk on the roster to reach that mark (Brugler, Ziegler).
• Gabby Casey matched a career-high with five assists while also collecting eight rebounds (tied for a season high) and recording two steals.
• Aleah Snead finished in double figures for the sixth time this season, grabbing a career-high eight rebounds.
• Four of Emma Boslet's six rebounds were on the offensive glass, the graduate guard adding a pair of assists and blocks to her tally.
• Kaylie Griffin recorded a career-high six assists in just 16 minutes of action.
• The Hawks assisted on 22 of 28 made baskets, finishing the night 28-57 (49.1%) from the field.
• St. Joe's held a 26-9 advantage on the boards in the first half, finishing with a 45-23 edge.
• The defense has held opponents to under 50 points for the third-consecutive game, limiting Saint Louis to just 19-57 (33.3%) from the field and 2-12 (16.7%) from distance.
• The Hawks turned the ball over 24 times compared to 16 turnovers from Saint Louis. Despite the discrepancy, St. Joe's were only outscored 25-24 in points off turnovers.
• Saint Joseph's has won three of the last four meetings, moving to 13-11 all-time against the Billikens.
• The seven-game win streak matches the longest of the season.

 
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks defend Hagan Arena on Sunday, February 9, hosting Loyola Chicago in a 1 p.m. tip.