12/6/2022 4:00:00 PM
Saint Joseph’s heads on the road to face Rider for the first time since 2018-19 in its third road trip of the year. The matchup again features a former member of the staff at Hawk Hill, head coach Lynn Milligan spending six seasons as an assistant in 2001-07.
The Hawks are coming off the eighth-straight win in program history, setting the best mark to start the season in Cindy Griffin‘s 22 year tenure and the second-longest win streak to start a season in program history, the 1984-85 Hawk team starting 10-0.
The Hawks dominated nearly end-to-end of a City 6 matchup against Drexel, leading for nearly 39 minutes in a 69-49 rout over their foes to move to 3-0 on the year against Philly schools. Mackenzie Smith led the way with 17 points for the Hawks, now recording double-figures in six of her first eight games. Talya Brugler earned 15 points and 11 assists for her first double-double of the season, now tallying the last four double-doubles for SJU. Laura Ziegler posted 10 points in the win over Drexel, Julia Nyström adding nine points off the bench. Katie Jekot posted four points, six boards and five assists, now sitting 13 assists from entering the top 10 in assists in SJU history. The win snapped a five-game losing streak to the Dragons.
The Hawks hold a 5-1 series record against the Broncs, all five wins coming in the 1980s. The lone matchup of this century came in 2018-19, when the Hawks were denied a late comeback attempt in a 56-54 defeat to the Broncs in the opening round of the Hawk Classic.
Rider carries an offense that averages 65 points per game, shooting 41.6% from the field. The Broncs rank first in the CAA in assist-turnover ratio (0.84) and in three pointers per game (8.4), the latter ranking 38th most in the country.
A balanced scoring attack from the Broncs sees five different players score at least 7.0 points per game, spearheaded by a trio that tally double-figures. Makayla Firebaugh leads the Broncs with 15.1 points, including a 25 point outburst against common foe North Florida. Raphaela Toussaint posts 12.1 points and a team-high 6.1 rebounds per contest, while Jessika Schiffer and Victoria Toomey add 10.9 and 9.4 points, respectively. Amanda Mobley plays a team-high 34.6 minutes per game, scoring 7.3 points a dishing out a team-best 41 assists on the year, nearly six per game (21st in NCAA).
Start As You Mean To Go On
The Hawks moved to 8-0 for the second time in program history, the win over Drexel besting the previous longest start to a season undefeated under the tenure of head coach Cindy Griffin. The 8-0 squad bested the 2005-06 team that went 7-0, while currently two games shy of the program’s record set in 1984-85 squad that started 10-0.
Entering Tuesday’s national schedule, the Hawks are one of just 15 teams to remain undefeated headed into the second month of the campaign, the only A-10 team remaining with an unblemished record.
Claiming The City
After three matchups with City 6 rivals, the Hawks have ran the gauntlet thus far. The Hawks have posted a +12 scoring margin in the three wins, the most recent against Drexel the largest of the three after defeating the Dragons 69-49. SJU has held Philly foes to just 36.0% from the field.
Talya Brugler has stepped up in city matchups, leading the Hawks with 18.3 points and 7.7 rebounds. Brugler, a Bethlehem, Pa. native (70 miles from Hawk Hill), posted a career-high with 23 points against Penn, grabbing her first double-double of the season against the Dragons with 15 points and 11 rebounds. The sophomore is shooting 50% (20-40) from the field and 92.3% (12-13) from the line.
Climbing The Charts
Katie Jekot scored seven straight points for SJU to start the second quarter against Boston University, collecting her 1,001st point with 4:11 remaining. Jekot becomes just the 26th Hawk in program history to eclipse the mark. The Enola, Pa. native has played in 109 career games on Hawk Hill, including 103 starts. The sixth year guard holds a 1.48 assist-to-turnover ratio over her career, her 1,009 points tying Brittany Ford for 25th in school history. Jekot also sits just 13 assists away from cracking the top 10 in program history.
Phenomenal Freshmen
Over the last two seasons, more than likely the women’s reigning Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week resided in Hawk Hill. With Laura Ziegler winning the first four awards of the season, the Hawks have now tallied 13 straight Rookie of the Week honors in a row. Talya Brugler had a team-high six last season, only two behind the all-time record holder in former Hawk great Susan (Moran) Lavin.
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