Saint Joseph's Women's Basketball Hosts Saint Louis Wednesday

Feb. 5, 2008

PHILADELPHIA - Saint Joseph's women's basketball team, coming off a come-from-behind 72-66 win at Massachusetts on Sunday, is looking to move above .500 in the Atlantic 10 as the Hawks host Saint Louis Wednesday. The game will be broadcast live on www.sjuhawks.com, beginning at 7 p.m.

• Click here for Saint Joseph's game notes.

GAME STORIES . . .
• The Hawks, currently tied for seventh at 3-3 in the A-10, are 4-4 at home this season, going 1-1 in conference play.
• Saint Joseph's are 8-6 in games decided by nine points or fewer, with its past three games decided by 11 points total.
• The Hawks are 2-0 all-time versus the Billikens, winning last season 70-68 and posting a 69-50 victory on January 13, 2006.
• Sophomore forward Brittany Ford is averaging 16.5 points per game over the past two contests.
• Saint Joseph's currently leads the Atlantic 10 in three pointers made (132) and three-point efficiency (36.8 percent).

LAST TIME OUT
Fighting back from an 11-point second-half deficit, Saint Joseph's came from behind to top Massachusetts, 72-66. Tied in the final two minutes, Saint Joseph's defense stiffened, and SJU guard Timisha Gomez was clutch, making six straight free throws over the final 1:09 to seal the comeback for the Hawks.

OF NOTE
Saint Joseph's freshman center Sarah Acker is coming off her fifth double-double of the season with a 24-point, 16 rebound performance at Massachusetts on Sunday.

FOR STARTERS
Through the first 21 games of the 2007-08 slate, the Hawks have used seven combinations of starters. The following is a breakdown of the starting five and Saint Joseph's records in those contests.
Starters - W-L
Logue/Acker/McDade/Loschiavo/Gomez -3-2
Logue/Wold/McDade/Gillespie/Gomez - 1-0
Logue/Acker/Wold/McDade/Gomez -3-2
Logue/Acker/Wold/McDade/Loschiavo - 0-1
Acker/Gillespie/McDade/Loschiavo/Gomez - 0-3
Ford/Acker/Wold/McDade/Gomez - 4-1
Ford/Acker/Gillespie/McDade/Gomez - 0-1

INJURY REPORT
Freshman Laren Robinson is doubtful for Wednesday with a knee injury.

CAPTAINS ON THE DECK
Saint Joseph's Head Coach Cindy Griffin named seniors Timisha Gomez, Krista Hutchison and junior Mary Kate McDade as the team's captains for the 2007-08 season. All three Hawks are first-time captains.

LOSCHIAVO AND ACKER ENTER HAWKS' RECORD BOOK
Arguably Saint Joseph's most consistent three-point threat the past three seasons, junior guard Jenna Loschiavo has continued to etch her name in the Hawk's record book this year. Already fifth in SJU history in three-point percentage (.375), Loschiavo has climbed the ladder for both three pointers made and attempted. The Plymouth Meeting, PA, native enters Saturday's game ninth all-time in both makes (130) and attempts (347).

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
The Hawks added several five faces for the 2007-08 season with the addition of freshmen Sarah Acker, Dominique Bryant, Kallie Hovatter, Alexis Johnson and Laren Robinson. As a group, these rookies averaged 91 points and 52.5 rebounds per game as seniors in high school. Now 21 games into their collegiate careers, these newcomers have made a big impacts on Hawk Hill as the group has averaged 16.9 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game.

ACK ATTACK
Having played in just 21 collegiate games, Saint Joseph's freshman Sarah Acker has already made an impact for the Hawks. Saint Joseph's leader in scoring (12.4 ppg), the Nanticoke, Pa., native currently is tied for sixth in the Atlantic 10 in rebounding (8.0 rpg) and is sixth in blocks (30), with her team-leading 59.9 field goal percentage ranks second in the A-10. Acker has also earned individual accolades, being selected Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week twice (Dec. 2-9, Jan. 7-13 ) and earning Hilton Philadelphia Hawk Classic All-Tournament Team honors.

MCING IT HAPPEN
Serving as backup point guard her first two seasons on Hawk Hill, junior Mary Kate McDade has thrived this year as a starter. Currently sixth in the Atlantic 10, and first on SJU, the Philadelphia native has dished out 80 assists over the first 21 games (4.10), well above her career average (1.67 apg). Also, McDade has become a bigger scoring threat this season, averaging 3.0 points per game after entering the year at 1.3 ppg.

GO-TO GOMEZ
It has been a solid start to the season for senior guard Timisha Gomez, averaging a career-high in scoring (11.1 ppg) and rebounding (3.9 rpg). The Elkridge, Md., native has led the Hawks in scoring a team-high five times and scored in double figures 13 times. Gomez, who has played in 114 of a potential 115 career games, earned Brown Basketball Classic All-Tournament Team honors after helping SJU to the title.

GILLESPIE GOING STRONG
It has been a breakout season for sophomore guard Amy Gillespie. Ranking fourth in scoring (7.8 ppg), second in three pointers (31) and earning Hawkeye Challenge All-Tournament Team honors, the the Springfield, Pa., native has thrived in a larger role this season. Gillespie, who averaged 21 points per game at the Hawkeye Challenge, more than doubled her entire scoring (44) and rebounding (21) totals from last season, as she enters Wednesday;s game with 155 points and 59 rebounds. She is also one of only three Hawks to register 20-point games twice this season.

SO NICE THEY NAMED HER IT TWICE
Having already earned MVP honors at the Brown Basketball Classic after leading SJU to the title, senior guard Amy Wold again earned some hardware, earning MVP accolades at the Hilton Philadelphia Hawk Classic. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native scored a team-high 17 points and had five assists and six rebounds in SJU's title-game win over No. 15 Auburn. Wold averaged 12.5 points, 6.0, assists and 5.0 rebounds per game in helping the Hawks to their second in-season title of the year. Over the four-game span, the senior averaged 14 points and 5.25 assists per game.

FORD TOUGH
Averaging 13 points and 6.8 rebounds per game en route to Atlantic 10 All-Tournament honors last March, forward Brittany Ford was expecting a stellar start to the 2007-08 season. That didn't occur as planned as the Wilmington, DE native missed the opening 10 games with a minor knee injury. Returning to the lineup at Seton Hall, Ford is still shaking off the rust, but has still posted solid numbers for SJU, averaging 9.2 points, 3.0 rebounds per game and six blocks. At Temple, Ford posted a season-high with 19 points and added five rebounds.

POST MANEUVERS
With several Hawks having a larger role this season compared to last, there is no arguing the transformation of SJU's sophomore forward Ashley Logue. Playing limited time in just seven games a year ago, Logue has excelled this year, playing in all 21 games, including 12 starts. Scoring only two points and adding six rebounds as a rookie, Logue eclipsed nearly all her career-highs in the opener at Lehigh (16 points and six rebounds). To date, Logue has scored 102 points (4.9 ppg) and added 71 boards (3.4 rpg).

GOMEZ AND ACKER EARN WEEKLY HONORS
Combining for 39 points in Saint Joseph's 68-61 win at St. Bonaventure, the Hawks' senior guard Timisha Gomez and freshman center Sarah Acker were honored for their individual performances with Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Week and Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week accolades, respectively. Earning the first Big 5 honor of her career, Gomez tallied a career-best 21 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal in the Hawks' win, while Acker was a perfect 7-of-7, scoring 18 points and adding nine boards and four blocks. Acker had previously earned A-10 weekly honors for the week of December 2-9.

WOLD NAMED BIG 5 CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Coming off MVP honors at for the Hilton Philadelphia Hawk Classic, Saint Joseph's senior guard Amy Wold was honored for her stellar play at the tournament with Big 5 Co-Player of the Week honors. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native earned the first SJU City Series weekly honor after helping the Hawks to the Hilton Philadelphia Hawk Classic title. In the championship game versus No. 15 Auburn, Wold tallied a team-high 17 points and five assists, and finished the two-game tournament with a 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per contest.

SJU CLAIMS HILTON PHILADELPHIA HAWK CLASSIC TITLE
The Hilton Philadelphia Hawk Classic championship trophy returned to Saint Joseph's as the Hawks topped NO. 15 Auburn, 71-69, in the title game (recap on page 18). The Hawks earned the title, the sixth in 17 years, backed by MVP Amy Wold and All-Tournament Team member Sarah Acker's 17 and 16 points, respectively. Saint Joseph's previously won the Hawk Classic in 1993, 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001. The Hawks topped NJIT, 68-59, in the opening round as senior guard Timisha Gomez paced SJU with 16 points.

SAINT JOSEPH'S VERSUS THE POLLS
Topping No. 15 Auburn in the title game of the Hilton Philadelphia Hawk Classic, Saint Joseph's improved to 31-104 all-time versus ranked opponents and 1-2 on the season. The Hawks previously lost to No. 5/6 Rutgers, 56-50, November 28 and to No. 21/22 Wyoming, 66-64, on December 8. The Hawk last win over a ranked team prior to Saturday came on March 4, 2007 as SJU topped No. 8/9 George Washington, 57-55. For a complete list of the SJU's results versus ranked opponents, please see page 138 of the Saint Joseph's media guide.

WOLD AND GOMEZ LEADS SJU TO BROWN CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIP
The Hawks captured their 14th in-season title in program history as SJU topped Manhattan (65-58) and Brown (65-54) to claim the Brown Basketball Classic title. Saint Joseph's senior Amy Wold earned MVP honors after posting a career-high 20 points and seven assists in the title game. Classmate Timisha Gomez was named to the All-Tournament Team as she led SJU with a game-high 17 points in the opener versus the Jaspers.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Hawks return host Duquesne Saturday as Saint Joseph's holds "Think Pink Day." Game time is set for 2 p.m.