St. Joe’s snaps a three-game skid with a dominant 92-61 win over St. Bonaventure

There isn’t perhaps a more emphatic way to snap a three-game conference losing streak than the way St. Joseph’s women’s basketball squad did at home on Wednesday night.

The Hawks (15-5, 5-3 Atlantic 10) cruised to a 92-61 win over St. Bonaventure inside Hagan Arena behind a 55.9% shooting percentage, with 9 of 16 three-point attempts hitting the mark. Sophomore Talya Brugler led the way with a team-high 18 points, going 7 of 14 from the field.

It was a complete team performance from the Hawks. They also were led by sophomore Mackenzie Smith’s 15-point, seven-rebound performancem and freshman Laura Zeigler who added 14. Even the bench got busy as St. Joe’s received 31 of its total points from five different players off the bench.

I’yanna Lops led with a game-high 21 points for the Bonnies (4-19, 1-7) and Nikki Oppenheimer added 17.

» READ MORE: St. Joseph’s Katie Jekot is providing the Hawks’ tournament hopes with quite the assist

A dominant shooting display from a Hawks team who went into the locker room up 55-29 at the break. A highlight was the crucial play of Zeigler, who scored seven of her total midway through the second quarter. That helped the Hawks pull away by as much as 20 after a big three-pointer at the 7-minute, 13-second mark of the quarter gave St. Joe’s a 39-17 lead.

The offense cooled off for the Hawks, but that’s largely because head coach Cindy Griffin giving many of her starters more rest. Still, the third quarter was the only one in which St. Bonaventure scored more than St. Joe’s — 15-14 — with the game all but wrapped.

Lops and Oppenheimer were the lone bright spots on St. Bonaventure’s side of the ball. Lops was effective driving to the basket, scoring 14 of her total from underneath, while Oppenheimer was smart at drawing fouls and making her shots, going a perfect 6-for-6 from the line.

» READ MORE: St. Joseph’s women drop third straight conference game, 71-65, to Fordham

It was a dominant first two quarters of basketball from St. Joe’sthat saw it jump out to as much as a 15-point lead in the first 10 minutes of the game. The Hawks set off a shooting onslaught that continued in the second quarter, one the Bonnies were unable to stop in the paint or from the perimeter.

The Hawks are on the road this Sunday to face a Richmond (12-6, 2-3) team eager to gain some ground in the conference. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. (ESPN+).