PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team shot 91.7 percent from the floor in the third quarter, outscoring Duquesne 27-13 to help propel the Hawks to a 72-53 win over Duquesne on Saturday inside the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
Saint Joseph's (13-6, 4-4 A-10) built a 12-4 lead to open the game, with
Gabby Casey scoring eight points during the run on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting performance that included a pair of 3-pointers. Duquesne (7-13, 0-9 A-10) answered with a quick 5-0 spurt before a steal and layup from
Kaylinn Bethea sent the Hawks into the first quarter with a 16-12 advantage.
After the teams traded the first six baskets of the second quarter, the Hawks used an 8-0 run sparked by three-point plays from
Jill Jekot and
Rhian Stokes to extend the lead to 31-23. Duquesne closed the half strong, scoring six of the final eight points to trim the deficit to 33-29 at the break.
St. Joe's seized control coming out of halftime, opening the third quarter on a 16-5 run to build its largest lead of the game. The Hawks continued to roll offensively, knocking down their final nine shots of the quarter to carry a 60-42 lead into the final 10 minutes.
Jekot, playing in her first game after missing the previous four contests, finished with 14 points, drilling a 3-pointer to push the lead to 21. Moments later, Casey set a new career high with her 26th point of the game.
Emily Knouse capped the scoring with a late 3-pointer as the Hawks secured the road victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Gabby Casey set a new career high with 26 points on 9-for-12 shooting, including 5-for-7 from 3-point range. She recorded her third double-double of the season, adding a team-high 10 rebounds to go along with five assists.
- Jill Jekot finished with 14 points in her return, matching a career-high with four steals. She went 6-for-9 from the floor and added three rebounds.
- Faith Stinson filled the stat sheet with eight points, five rebounds, a season-high four assists and a block. She snapped an eight-game drought without a made 3-pointer, connecting on two of three attempts from distance.
- Cecilia Kay posted a career-high five blocks in the win, adding two assists and two steals.
- Rhian Stokes added six points and three assists while pulling down a career-high six rebounds.
- Saint Joseph's shot 28-for-56 (50.0%) from the field, marking the fifth time this season the Hawks have shot at least 50 percent. SJU went 10-for-28 (38.5%) from 3-point range, its best mark in conference play.
- Duquesne was limited to 18-for-55 (32.7%) shooting from the field and 4-for-17 (23.5%) from beyond the arc.
- The Hawks never trailed in the game, improving to 11-0 when outrebounding their opponent (38-31) and 10-0 when leading at halftime.
UP NEXT
Saint Joseph's remains on the road for an Atlantic 10 matchup at La Salle on Wednesday, Jan. 28. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
