PHILADELPHIA – The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team earned a 59–51 victory over Davidson on Sunday inside Hagan Arena, splitting the season series and extending its win streak to three games.
 
A 10-point Saint Joseph's (15-6, 6-4 A-10) lead dwindled to one in the final quarter, but the Hawks fended off the comeback as Rhian Stokes, Gabby Casey and Jill Jekot combined for all 16 points in the period.
 
Both teams shot a combined 70 percent from the field over the first five minutes, with Faith Stinson leading the Hawks with four early points to give the hosts a 9-7 edge. Gabby Casey knocked down her second three of the game to increase the advantage to 12-7, but Davidson (15-9, 7-4 A-10) responded with a 10-1 run to close out the quarter with a 17-13 advantage.
 
Aleah Snead joined Casey in accounting for 14 of the opening 16 points of the second quarter for Saint Joseph's, using a 16-3 run to take a 29-20 advantage. Cecilia Kay helped keep the Wildcats at bay with a jumper from the baseline as the Hawks headed into halftime with a 32-26 lead.
 
Four Hawks scored coming out of the break as a 9–2 run, capped by a Stinson block that led to a Rhian Stokes fastbreak layup, pushed the lead to 41–28 with 3:37 remaining in the third. The Hawks' defense limited the Wildcats to just 25 percent from the field in the period, taking a 43-33 lead into the final 10 minutes.
 
Davidson opened the fourth with five quick points in the opening minute, forcing the Hawks to call a timeout. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Davidson's Charlise Dunn trimmed the Hawks' lead to one before a Jill Jekot corner 3-pointer pushed the lead back to two possessions. After the Wildcats cut the deficit to three points with 53 seconds remaining, the Hawks were able to stack defensive possessions over the final minute while finishing 5-for-6 from the free throw line to fend off a late charge and earn a 59-51 victory.
 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Gabby Casey led the Hawks with a game-high 22 points, her third 20-point game of the season. The junior finished a perfect 6-for-6 from inside the arc, knocking down both of her threes in the first quarter. Casey added five rebounds and two assists.
• Aleah Snead returned to double figures with 10 points, all coming in the first half. Snead led the team with three steals, adding five rebounds and two assists.
• Rhian Stokes and Jill Jekot each added nine points in the win, Jekot also recording six rebounds.
• Faith Stinson scored six points to go with six rebounds, adding three assists. The forward has 11 assists in the last three games.
• Saint Joseph's shot 21-for-47 (44.7%) from the field and connected on 4-for-12 of its shots from the perimeter. The Hawks limited Davidson to just 19-for-55 (34.5%) from the floor and 6-for-21 (28.6%) from three.
• The Hawks led for 34:11 of the contest, improving to 14-2 all-time against the Wildcats and 6-0 at home.

 
UP NEXT
Saint Joseph's heads back on the road on Wednesday, Feb. 4 to take on Rhode Island. Tip is scheduled for 6 p.m. on ESPN+.