HENRICO, Va. – The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team opens postseason play Thursday at the Atlantic 10 Championship with a Second Round matchup against No. 12 Duquesne at the Henrico Sports & Events Center.
 
No. 5 Saint Joseph's (19-10, 10-7 A-10) vs. No. 12 Duquesne (12-18, 4-14 A-10)
Date: Thursday, March 5
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Site: Henrico, Va. | Henrico Sports & Events Center
TV: ESPN+ (Leah Secondo, Fallon Stokes)
Series History: Saint Joseph's leads 51-14 (31-4 home, 18-9 away, 2-1 neutral)
 
SAINT JOSEPH'S              SCHEDULE | ROSTER | STATS | GAME NOTES
DUQUESNE                     SCHEDULE | ROSTER | STATS
 
 
OPENING TIP
Saint Joseph's enters the Atlantic 10 Championship as the No. 5 seed for the seventh time in program history. The Hawks are 9-6 all-time as the No. 5 seed, highlighted by a run to the championship game in 2007.
 
Duquesne advanced with a 60-52 first-round victory over VCU, rallying from a 16-point second-half deficit. The Hawks swept the regular season series, earning a 72-53 road win before a 61-46 victory at home.
 
St. Joe's closed the regular season at 19-10 overall and 10-8 in conference play, sitting one win shy of its fourth consecutive 20-win campaign.
 
Gabby Casey headlines a pair of All-Conference selections, earning Second Team honors along with Most Improved Player recognition. Aleah Snead joined her on the Third Team.
 
Casey enters tournament play as one of just three players nationally averaging at least 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 45 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range, joining Maggie Doogan (Richmond) and Sarah Strong (UConn).
 
Saint Joseph's ranks fourth nationally in assist rate (70.4%). Northwestern leads the nation at 71.5%, and the Hawks are one of only four Division I programs above the 70 percent mark.
 
 
SHARING IS CARING
Through 29 games, the Hawks have assisted on 487 of their 692 made field goals, maintaining one of the nation's top assist rates at 70.4 percent. Only four teams nationwide sit above the 70 percent threshold.
 
Ball movement has been a staple of the program, with Saint Joseph's ranking top 30 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio twice over the past three seasons. This year, the Hawks remain near the top 30 (1.18) while leading the Atlantic 10 in assists per game (16.8).
 
 
RHIAN'S IN CHARGE
After four starts as a freshman, Rhian Stokes has assumed primary playmaking duties as a sophomore. She ranks sixth in the Atlantic 10 with 3.3 assists per game and is nearing the 100-assist mark.
 
Stokes also leads the Hawks in three-point percentage (41.3%) and free-throw percentage (81.3%), totaling 14 assists over the last four games.
 
 
CASEY STEPPING UP
Gabby Casey has been a do-it-all presence in 2025-26, leading the team in points, rebounds, and steals per game. She has reached double figures in 23 of 27 games, grabbed at least five rebounds 21 times, and recorded three or more steals nine times.
 
Casey has led the Hawks in rebounding 14 times, scoring and steals 13 times, and assists 10 times, while pacing the team with six games featuring a team-best plus/minus. She has already surpassed previous single-season highs in points, rebounds, assists, and steals.
 
 
SNEAD IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Aleah Snead is 27-10 all-time when inserted into the starting lineup for the Hawks, with 19 of those victories coming by double digits.
 
Snead recorded her third double-double of her career with 16 points, 12 rebounds and six assists against Loyola Chicago. Headed back to the Midwest, Snead led the Hawks in scoring (18), rebounding (5) and assists (7) against Saint Louis.
 
 
LET IT FLY
Saint Joseph's is coming off a program-record 231 made threes in 2024-25. The Hawks have hit 202 triples this season, tying the 2023-24 squad for third-most in program history.
It marks the third consecutive season — and fourth time overall — that the Hawks have reached 200 made threes.
 
 
ABOUT ST. JOE'S
Saint Joseph's is competing in its 53rd season of women's basketball and the 25th under head coach Cindy Griffin. The Hawks are 27 wins shy of reaching 1,000 victories in program history.
 
Griffin recently moved into second place on the Atlantic 10 all-time conference wins list with 225, trailing only Joe McKeown (240).
 
 
SERIES HISTORY
Saint Joseph's holds a 51-14 all-time advantage over Duquesne. Thursday marks the fourth postseason meeting between the programs, with the Hawks holding a 2-1 edge. The most recent tournament matchup came in 2022, when Saint Joseph's defeated Duquesne, 65-49.