St. Joseph’s women’s team takes control, defeats Duquesne in Atlantic 10 tournament
The Hawks didn't miss a beat against Duquesne in the A10 tournament, winning handily.
Just five days after defeating Duquesne in Pittsburgh, St. Joseph’s women’s basketball team handled the Dukes again on Thursday, winning 65-49 in the second round of the Atlantic 10 tournament at the Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Del.
Despite only making two three-point shots, the seventh-seeded Hawks extended their season another day thanks to strong post play and two 20-point performances from freshmen Laila Fair and Talya Brugler.
“I’m very proud of these young ladies,” said head coach Cindy Griffin. “I thought we came out with a great game plan.”
Duquesne, who led for only 22 seconds, shot just 27% from the field and 69% from the free-throw line.
Tess Myers led No. 10-seeded Duquesne with 15 points.
Early three-point shooting woes
St. Joe’s opened the game on a 14-7 run that spanned the duration of the first quarter, taking advantage of Duquesne shooting just 14% from the floor.
The Hawks missed their first five three-point attempts, but were still able to score by driving the ball or running set plays that resulted in layups or floaters. St. Joe’s forced four Duquesne turnovers over the run, as the Dukes looked out of rhythm offensively.
“I thought when we started scoring, it took a little bit of pressure off of our guards to make shots,” said Griffin. “When you are getting that balance of inside and outside, the offense tends to flow a little bit and you aren’t pressing as much.”
In its previous win over Duquesne, the Hawks enjoyed deep-shooting success, making 9 of 19 attempts. On Thursday, the Hawks had to find another strategy on offense, and they quickly did.
“We made all the adjustments that needed to be made,” said Griffin. “I thought our post players did an unbelievable job.”
Protecting (and growing) the lead
The Hawks opened the second quarter trading baskets and free throws with the Dukes.
Then, with 3 minutes, 26 seconds remaining, Fair took over. On one possession, she took three shots — making the last — but gathered two offensive rebounds, while battling multiple Duquesne players.
The next possessions, Fair hit a 15-foot jumper followed by two free throws. Fair’s dominance grew the lead to 31-14, thanks to an 11-0 run.
Mackenzie Smith hit the first St. Joe’s three-pointer with 1:14 to play in the second quarter.
The Fair show
Fair scored 10 of her 20 points in the second quarter and continued her dominance into the third. She scored seven points — including the first five points of the quarter — had an assist, and pulled two rebounds in eight third-quarter minutes.
The Hawks’ 17-point lead at halftime grew to 21 by the end of the third quarter.
An 8-0 Duquesne run early in the fourth quarter made the game somewhat competitive, but the Hawks were unfazed, settling down by scoring high-percentage buckets and knocking down free throws.
“We were clicking on all levels, and I thought that we were really ready to come in and prove ourselves,” said Brugler.
Next up
St. Joe’s will face second-seeded Rhode Island on Friday at 5 p.m. in a quarterfinal clash.