PHILADELPHIA – Late heartbreak dealt the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team defeat in the second round of the WBIT, falling 62-60 to Villanova inside Hagan Arena on Sunday afternoon.
 
Laura Ziegler led all scorers with 19 points, adding 10 rebounds and eight assists. Talya Brugler registered 18 points, while Mackenzie Smith was the third Hawk to record double figures with 13 points.
 
Jasmine Bascoe led all nine Villanova scorers with 15 points, Maddie Burke the only other Wildcat in double-digits with 11 on the afternoon.
 
Saint Joseph's (24-9) built as large as a 16-7 lead in the opening seven minutes of the contest after a 6-0 run propelled them to the nine-point lead. Villanova (19-14) fought back, taking a 33-28 lead into the break.
 
St. Joe's scored the first eight points of the half, 12 of the first 15 to flip the deficit into a 40-36 advantage with under three minutes to play in the third quarter. A step back three from Villanova's Jasmine Bascoe put the visitors up by one point with 30 seconds remaining before Mackenzie Smith slipped past her defender with a lay-up in the closing seconds to give the Hawks a 43-42 advantage with 10 minutes to play.
 
The Hawks led by five with 1:32 to play before a turnover and a three-pointer from the Wildcats cut the gap to two with 38 seconds to play. After Villanova forced another turnover in the closing seconds, the visitors were able to run the court and pick out an open Maddie Burke for three to overcome the late deficit and earn a 62-60 victory.
 
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Talya Brugler added 18 points to her storied career, playing her 123^rd career game. The Nazareth, Pa. native finishes with 1,736 points, third-most in program history.
• Brugler became just the third Hawk in program history to average 10+ points per game in all four seasons, joining Susan Moran (1998-02) and Angela Zampella (1997-01).
• The senior forward registered her 93^rd game with double-digit scoring, second only to Moran (109) in program history.
• Mackenzie Smith finished her career with 122 starts and 129 appearances. The 129 games played ties Katie Jekot for second-most by a Hawk, one game shy of Erin Shield's program record of 130 games played. The 122 starts matches Moran for third, only Kim Foley (124) and Jekot (123) starting more games than the Shelburne, Nova Scotia native.
• Smith registered 13 points in the win, moving her career total to 1,618 points. The senior finished seventh all-time in scoring in program history.
• Laura Ziegler finished her season with 596 points (sixth-most in single-season history) and 355 rebounds (second-most).
• The forward ends her junior season with 1,405 career points to sit 11^th in program history. Her 917 career rebounds surpassed Susan Moran (1998-02) for fourth-most in school history, only 130 rebounds shy from the all-time record. Ziegler is 13 career assists shy from becoming the 17^th Hawk with 300 assists in a career.
• Ziegler registered a double-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, her 20^th on the season and 41^st of her career. Only Dale Hodges has recorded more double-doubles in a single-season, recording 25 in the 1989-90 campaign.
• Emma Boslet recorded three rebounds, three blocks and an assist in the defeat. The Edison, N.J. native finished the season with career-highs in points (100), rebounds (98), assists (104), steals (25), and blocks (15).
• Gabby Casey added eight points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
• St. Joe's finished 23-50 from the field for 46.0 percent despite shooting just 1-10 (10.0%) from distance.
• The Hawks held a 40-20 advantage in points in the paint, Villanova countering by shooting 11-26 (42.3%) from three. The Wildcats' bench outscored Saint Joseph's by a 23-0 margin.