GLEN ALLEN, Va. – The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team overcame a six-point deficit in the final two minutes to earn a spot in the Atlantic 10 semifinals, defeating Rhode Island in a 53-50 overtime victory inside the Henrico Sports and Events Center.
 
St. Joe's was led by 16 points from Talya Brugler. Mackenzie Smith added 15 points in the victory, while Gabby Casey scored seven of her nine points in the second half.
 
Anaelle Dutat paced Rhode Island with 13 points. Harsimran Kaur added 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds in the defeat.
 
Trailing by six points with just over two minutes to play, Saint Joseph's (22-8) halved the deficit after Casey buried a triple. Smith cut the difference to one in the final minute before going one-for-two at the line with 10 seconds to play to tie the game at 48-48. An off-balanced attempt led to a put-back attempt for Rhode Island (17-16) that rattled off the rim, sending the game into overtime.
 
St. Joe's took an early lead in extra time after making three-of-four free throws in the opening 90 seconds. Rhode Island cut Saint Joseph's lead to one with 2:32 to play on the only made field goal of the period. The Hawk offense was held scoreless over a three-minute span before Brugler knocked down a pair of free throws to increase the lead to three with 10 seconds to play. A suffocating defensive possession forced Rhode Island to a last-gasp three from deep as time expired, with the attempt missing the rim as the Hawks piled up at half-court in celebration to earn a spot in the Atlantic 10 semifinals.
 
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Talya Brugler scored a game-high 16 points in the win, moving into third all-time in scoring in program history. Brugler passed Teresa Carmichael with her 1,688 points.
• Mackenzie Smith finished with 15 points, marking the 16^th time this season she has registered 15+ points. The senior also added six rebounds in the win.  
• Emma Boslet recorded six rebounds, including four on the offensive end, to go along with four assists.
• Laura Ziegler added seven points to go along with her team-high eight rebounds, while Gabby Casey finished with nine points in the victory.
• The Hawks dominated the glass, securing a 43-24 advantage in rebounding. St. Joe's used a 19-7 discrepancy on the offensive glass for 14 second-chance points.
• SJU finished 18-52 (34.6 percent) from the field and 3-13 (23.1 percent) from distance. Rhode Island recorded a 20-52 (38.5 percent) mark from the floor and finished 6-16 (37.5 percent) from the three.
• St. Joe's recorded its first overtime win since defeating Temple, 67-65, on November 22, 2023. It marks the second-consecutive overtime win that the Hawks won without scoring a field goal in extra time.
• The 53 points is the lowest output in a win on the season for Saint Joseph's.
• The Hawks entered the game 21-0 in games where they lead in the final five minutes and 0-8 in games they trailed. The win was the first time this season that the Hawks overcame a deficit in the last five minutes.
• St. Joe's advances to the semifinals for the first time since the 2021-22 season. The Hawks collected the 60^th win in program history over the Rams, moving to 6-2 all-time against Rhode Island in neutral meetings.

 
UP NEXT
The Hawks return to the court for the A-10 semifinals against top-seeded Richmond on Saturday, March 8. Tip is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on CBS Sports Network.