The Saint Joseph’s Hawks demonstrated their growing depth with a 76-52 win over La Salle University in a women’s college basketball matchup at Hagan Arena.
Despite missing key players Talya Brugler and Emma Boslet, the Hawks relied on a shortened seven-player rotation that rose to the occasion.
Mackenzie Smith led Saint Joseph’s with 22 points, while Laura Ziegler recorded her 36th career double-double with 14 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Paula Maurina contributed a season-high 14 points, going 5-for-7 from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line.
Additional contributions came from Gabby Casey and Aleah Snead, who each scored 10 points.
Snead has embraced her expanded role, focusing on defense and rebounding to help fill the void left by absent teammates.
The game shifted decisively in the third quarter. Leading 31-27 at halftime, Saint Joseph’s went on an 8-0 run to open the second half, fueled by two clutch three-pointers from Smith.
Meanwhile, La Salle struggled offensively, going nearly four minutes without a basket as the Hawks scored 16 straight points.
Joan Quinn was the one to watch for La Salle, scoring a career-high 23 points while adding six rebounds and three assists.
Despite her performance, La Salle’s struggles in third quarters persisted a trend that Coach Mountain MacGillivray acknowledged as a pressing issue.
Saint Joseph’s controlled the boards, out-rebounding La Salle 36-24 and translating that into a 15-2 advantage in second-chance points.
The Hawks led wire-to-wire for the seventh time this season and extended their winning streak to four games.
The victory keeps Saint Joseph’s in contention in the Atlantic 10, improving their record to 16-4 overall and 7-2 in the conference.
The Hawks will face Davidson next in another key women’s college basketball matchup.
At the same time, La Salle, now 7-15 overall and 1-8 in the Atlantic 10, looks to snap its nine-game losing streak when it travels to St. Bonaventure.
