Women's basketball | Hawks try to keep winning Saturday vs St. Bonaventure

After two competitive conference victories against La Salle and George Washington, the Saint Joseph’s women’s basketball team will look to keep the momentum going against St. Bonaventure this Saturday in Olean, N.Y.

In last Wednesday’s game against the La Salle Explorers (5-17, 0-7 A-10), the Hawks (11-10, 4-2 A-10) found themselves down early. Poor offensive production and a late Explorer run to end the first half left the Hawks down 19-11 to the worst team in the Atlantic 10 at halftime.

The second half proved to be quite different, however, as the Hawks finally turned around on offense, finishing off the Explorers with a final score of 45-39. Highlighting the Hawk’s comeback was Brittany Ford, ’10, who scored 15 points and notched two blocks to propel the Hawks to the win. Recently named Atlantic 10 “Rookie of the Week” Ashley Prim, ’13, also finished strong with eight points and seven rebounds.

Later in the week, the Hawks stayed home on a snowy Saturday afternoon to play the George Washington Colonials. Like La Salle, George Washington (5-15, 2-5 A-10) came in trying to prove that they were better than their record, and for most of the first half, they accomplished that goal. The Colonials took the lead early and did not relinquish it until there was 7:40 left on the clock.  A jump shot by Michelle Baker, ’12, gave the Hawks a 16-14 lead. For the rest of the half, the Hawks tried to pull out to a healthy lead on the Colonials, but George Washington refused to give in, allowing only a five-point deficit at the end of the first half.

Like the second half of the La Salle game, the Hawks hit their stride early in the second half against the Colonials. Within the first five minutes, the Hawks were up by eight points, and with less than eight minutes left, the Hawks hit a double-digit lead,  going up 49-38. Despite George Washington’s best efforts at a rally, the Hawks were able to maintain a solid point margin to go on to win 63-47.

Ford once again shined for the Hawks, this time going 10-13 from the floor and 3-3 from the foul line to score a total of 23 points. Amy Gillespie, ’10, also made a solid contribution, scoring 12 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Head coach Cindy Griffin also made the stat column for the game, winning her 200th victory as St. Joe’s’ head coach.

With these two wins under the Hawks’ belt, they will now welcome Temple (15-6, 4-2 A-10) to the Hagan Arena on Tuesday.

After the Temple game, the Hawks will travel to Olean, N.Y. for a match against St. Bonaventure. The Bonnies (16-6, 4-3 A-10), are right behind the Hawks in the conference standings, and a win by either team could have consequences when the conference tournament arrives. Coming in winning two of their last three games, the Bonnies have been led this season by senior forward Dana Mitchell, who has averaged 16.7 points per game while managing to get 32 assists and 26 steals on the season. With a strong record of 9-2 at home, the Hawks could be in for some trouble if they have a start like the one they had against La Salle.

If Ford and Prim can continue their solid pace, and the Hawks see more of a consistent presence from Ashley Logue, ’10, and Marieme Djouara, ’10, then the Hawks should be able to leave  New York on Saturday with another valuable conference victory.