St. Joe’s holds off late rally from Seton Hall in WBIT first-round win

It’s been a record-breaking season for the St. Joseph’s women’s basketball team, and the moments keep coming, as the Hawks earned a win in the first round of the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament on Thursday, defeating Seton Hall, 54-47.

In the second round on Sunday, the Hawks (27-5), a third seed, will face California, seeded second, which defeated Hawaii, 65-60. The time and location of that game had not yet been determined Thursday night.

“Very proud of our team. I thought we came in very focused,” Hawks coach Cindy Griffin said postgame. “Our last couple of practices have been tremendous. We were intentional about what we were doing. We knew we were going to be playing again; we just didn’t know where or who.”

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After falling in the first round of the WNIT to Seton Hall last season, the Hawks found themselves back in the postseason and ready to exact revenge against the Pirates.

“We know that they’re aggressive,” Griffin said. “We know that they are very disciplined on both ends of the floor. We know that they’re physical. So just knowing that and knowing that we need to be better than what we were a year ago.

“I think that these guys took it personal. They wanted to improve, obviously come out with a win, but just doing all the little things that we didn’t do last year was definitely a learning experience so I think it helped us.”

Seton Hall went on a 9-0 run to start the game, with Savannah Catalon scoring five and Kae Satterfield scoring four of those points for the Pirates. The Hawks trailed for the majority of the first half, until a three-pointer from Chloe Welch allowed St. Joe’s to take the lead with 6 minutes, 55 seconds left in the second quarter. From that point, the Hawks relinquished the lead just once the remainder of the game, midway through the fourth quarter.

“That was their run and we just needed a stop on defense to kind of push us forward, and I think we got that the next possession,” junior Mackenzie Smith said. “Paula [Maurina] came in and made a key layup, and that was the momentum for us.”

Smith was one of three Hawks to finish in double figures, pacing St. Joe’s with 15 points, followed by Talya Brugler, who had 11, and Welcm with 10.

But the key to the Hawks’ success, especially after the Pirates went on a 11-3 run and taking a brief 45-44 lead with 4:51 left in the game, was their rebounding. St. Joe’s finished with 39 total rebounds, with Smith, Laura Ziegler, and Gabby Casey each grabbing eight boards.

“It’s a matter of the team responding and they responded, and it’s great to see they’re rewarded for their hard work and their focus,” Griffin said. “It’s March, so the ball can bounce one way or it can bounce the other way, and you just have to try to make it bounce your way as many times as you can to give you more opportunities, and that happened today.”

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With their 27th win, the Hawks broke the program record for most victories in a season. But St. Joe’s isn’t concerned with that right now.

“We want to keep playing together. You know, this group is special, and we want it to continue as long as we can,” Griffin said. “The 27th is something that is great. I think it’s something that will reflect on maybe in a month or two, but right now we’re in the heat of it so we want to get 28.”