PHILADELPHIA – The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team defeated Duquesne, 61-46, to extend its win streak to three games on Wednesday evening inside Hagan Arena.
 
Saint Joseph's (18-8, 9-6 A-10) opened the game with a 9-0 run as Gabby Casey scored the final five points of the burst with a floater and a 3-pointer to force a Duquesne (9-17, 2-13 A-10) timeout. After Casey added her seventh point of the contest, the Dukes closed the quarter on a 9-4 spurt to trim the deficit to 15-11.
 
Duquesne took its only two leads early in the second quarter following a rare five-point possession. Reina Green converted a basket through contact before the Dukes secured the rebound off the free throw and swung the ball back to Green, who knocked down a triple for a 16-15 advantage. Duquesne later reclaimed a 19-18 lead, but a Casey 3-pointer sparked an 11-2 run for the Hawks. Kaylie Griffin became the fourth Saint Joseph's scorer during the stretch, converting a pair of free throws to give the hosts a 29-21 lead heading into halftime.
 
A quick four points to open the third quarter pushed the Hawks' lead into double digits, but the Dukes responded to pull within eight with 5:55 remaining. Rhian Stokes answered with four points of her own to ignite a 9-0 run, helping Saint Joseph's build a lead as large as 17 before Duquesne cut the deficit to 46-33 entering the final quarter.
 
Faith Stinson opened the fourth with five straight points to extend the Hawks' advantage to 16. The lead ballooned to as many as 20 on multiple occasions as Stokes and Emily Knouse buried late 3-pointers. Duquesne scored the game's final five points, but the rally proved only consolation as Saint Joseph's secured the 61-46 victory.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Gabby Casey led all scorers with 19 points on just 12 field-goal attempts while adding nine rebounds, falling one shy of her fourth double-double of the season. Casey is one of five players nationally averaging at least 15 points, six rebounds and three assists per game while shooting 45 percent from the field and 35 percent from three.
• Faith Stinson delivered one of her strongest outings as a Hawk, finishing with 13 points and nine rebounds while adding three assists.
• Aleah Snead contributed nine points, three rebounds and two assists, while Rhian Stokes scored seven points and led the team with five assists alongside four rebounds.
• Saint Joseph's shot 20-for-54 (37.0%) from the field and 7-for-18 (38.9%) from three while converting 14-of-16 (87.5%) from the free-throw line. The Hawks held a 42-35 rebounding advantage.
• Duquesne finished 18-for-58 (31.0%) from the floor and 7-for-25 (28.0%) from beyond the arc while attempting just five free throws.
• The Hawks secured their sixth three-game win streak of the season.
• Saint Joseph's earned its ninth conference win, guaranteeing at least a .500 Atlantic 10 record for the 19th time under head coach Cindy Griffin and for the fourth consecutive season.
• The Hawks improved to 14-0 when leading at halftime and 17-0 when holding a lead with five minutes remaining.
• Saint Joseph's moved to 51-14 all-time against Duquesne, including 31-4 at home.

 
UP NEXT
Saint Joseph's begins a two-game road swing with a trip to Saint Louis on Saturday, Feb. 21. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT / 3 p.m. ET.