Women’s basketball competes in New Mexico

The Saint Joseph’s University women’s basketball team (2-4) traveled to Albuquerque, N.M. last weekend to play in the University of New Mexico Thanksgiving Tournament. In addition to the Hawks, the tournament also featured Brigham Young University, the University of New Mexico, and the University of Tulsa.

After losing their first three games of the season, the Hawks defeated the University of Pennsylvania on Nov. 22 by a score of 57-53 and entered the tournament with a 1-3 record. Their first game at the tournament was against the Brigham Young Cougars. The Hawks trailed by 17 points in the third quarter by a score of 40-23. However, a 24-6 run by the Hawks gave them a 47-46 lead before the close of the quarter. The Cougars responded with a 24-4 run of their own in the fourth quarter to regain control of the game. The Hawks eventually fell 71-56.

Throughout the game, St. Joe’s struggled with shooting. They shot 35 percent from the floor and were 3-of-10 on three-point attempts. The team also missed seven of their 20 free-throw attempts.

Senior Amanda Fioravanti led the Hawks with 14 points and tallied five rebounds in the Hawks’ loss. Senior Jaryn Garner and junior Chelsea Woods also contributed 11 points each.

Following the loss, the Hawks were slated to play their host, New Mexico, in the consolation game. The Hawks again found themselves down 17 points, but were able to lead later on in the game. After shooting 1-for-16 in the first quarter, St. Joe’s had just six points and was  down 15. The Hawks were down 11 points at halftime, but was in the lead less than halfway through the third quarter. After scoring the final 10 points of the third quarter, the Hawks had a 54-49 lead.

The Hawks extended their lead in the fourth quarter and finished the game with a 79-67 victory to claim third place in the tournament.

“We definitely were in that situation the day before,” Head Coach Cindy Griffin said. “We stayed out of foul trouble [this time] for the most part and we were able to play some of our starters a little more minutes in that [comeback] stretch, which I think really helped us. We were able to make plays and really keep it simple and stick with the things that got us in that position.”

Woods led the way with 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. She was one of five Hawks in double figures. Junior Adashia Franklin, sophomore Alyssa Monaghan, sophomore Sarah Veilleux and Fioravanti also provided double-digit scoring for St. Joe’s.

Woods was also named to the All-Tournament team and has been a strong contributor for the Hawks all season.

“You know, she’s an undersized post player. That’s who she is,” Griffin said. “She’s been really a person that we’ve been able to put in a lot of different positions to [she’s] been effective. We feel like she is most effective at the four-spot for us and when she catches the ball around the basket, she’s really unstoppable. Even though her size sometimes is challenging, she knows how to use her body and she has a knack for putting the ball in the basket.”

After dropping their first three games, the Hawks have now won two of their last three.

St. Joe’s will host  rival Villanova University on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 4 p.m.