PHILADELPHIA – The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team delivered a gritty, complete performance on Wednesday afternoon, snapping a two-game skid with a 70-63 victory over George Washington inside Hagan Arena.
 
George Washington built a lead as large as seven in the opening quarter before Faith Stinson trimmed the deficit to five late in the frame. The Hawks chipped away throughout the second quarter, pulling within one possession five times before seizing their first lead of the game. Rhian Stokes and Aleah Snead combined for all 11 points during an 11-3 run to close the half, sending Saint Joseph's into the break with a 31-29 advantage.
 
The back-and-forth battle continued into the third quarter, featuring five lead changes in the opening five minutes. The Revolutionaries regained a 42-39 edge with 3:16 remaining before Snead converted a pair at the line to cut the deficit to one. Gabby Casey, limited to just two first-half points, then helped spark a 7-0 Hawks run with a wing three-pointer. Snead capped the surge to put Saint Joseph's ahead by four. After George Washington pulled within one, Stokes finished inside with 22 seconds remaining to give the Hawks a 48-45 lead entering the final quarter.
 
Casey opened the fourth with her second three-pointer of the game, extending the margin on the first possession. After a 5-0 GW spurt trimmed the lead, Casey responded with a layup and assisted on consecutive baskets from Stinson and Snead to stretch the advantage to seven. The Revolutionaries again cut the deficit to three with 2:55 to play, but Casey delivered another timely three-pointer to push the lead to 61-55.
 
With momentum on their side, the Hawks earned consecutive defensive stops before Emily Knouse knocked down a wide-open triple from the wing, extending the lead to nine with 1:05 remaining. Saint Joseph's sealed the win at the free-throw line to secure the 70-63 victory.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Rhian Stokes paced the Hawks with 16 points, going 10-for-14 from the free-throw line. She added four steals and two assists, with 10 of her 14 attempts at the stripe coming in the first half.
• Gabby Casey scored 13 of her 15 points after halftime, finishing 6-for-11 from the field and 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, while adding five rebounds and a team-high five assists.
• Aleah Snead recorded 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
• Emily Knouse led the bench with nine points, while Kaylinn Bethea added eight points and three rebounds.
• Saint Joseph's assisted on 17 of its 20 made field goals, shooting 20-for-46 (43.5%) overall and 6-for-12 (50.0%) from three-point range. The Hawks converted 24-of-34 free throws (70.6%).
• George Washington was led by Jaeda Wilson's 20 points off the bench. The Revolutionaries shot 22-for-49 (44.9%) from the floor and 5-for-12 (41.7%) from three.
• The Hawks have now won six straight against George Washington, improving to 38-32 all-time in the series and 16-16 under head coach Cindy Griffin.

 
UP NEXT
Saint Joseph's returns to the road on Saturday, Feb. 14, for a Valentine's Day matchup at Loyola Chicago. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.