Every week, the members of the St. Joe’s women’s basketball team head out to try different flavors of cookies at a nearby Crumbl Cookies bakeshop.

Not everyone goes, but all are invited.

Sophomore forward Talya Brugler, said it was around this time last year that the team started doing the weekly cookie trip.

“That was when things started getting great for us,” Brugler said. “So maybe it’s the cookies.”

“It’s the cookies,” sophomore guard Mackenzie Smith added.

It also was around this time last year that the team began to show flashes of emerging as a contender in a competitive Atlantic 10 (A-10) conference. With three regular-season games remaining in the 2021-22 season, the Hawks were 9-15, but starting with a 57-34 win against George Washington University, the Hawks won four of their last six games, including their surprise run to the A-10 semifinals.

Graduate guard Katie Jekot is in her sixth year with the program and a few years older than the rest of the team. However, Jekot said she and senior forward Jaden Walker invite their teammates over to their off-campus housing to spend time and build camaraderie that would translate on game day.

“I think it builds a true, authentic relationship on the court,” Jekot said.

About a year later, Brugler and Smith were among the A-10’s top 10 scorers, averaging 16.7 and 13.6 points, respectively. According to Smith, the team doesn’t know what exactly sparked its hot streak toward the end of last year, but their mindset definitely changed.

“I think it was a goal for us at the end of last year to carry that momentum forward,” Smith said. “I think we’ve done that beyond expectation.”

Jekot said this year’s squad was motivated to win by playing solid team basketball.

“I think the end of our season helped a lot last year,” Jekot said. “Having that momentum going into this year, we all bought into our team goals and our team mentality.”

That buy-in and momentum have been on full display for the Hawks, who entered the A-10 tournament as the No. 6 seed with a 9-7 conference record (19-9 overall).

St. Joe’s made major strides on both ends of the floor this season. They are scoring nearly 10 more points per game than they did last season and are second in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Head coach Cindy Griffin says the improvements have been fueled by several players.

“We have five people on the floor that can shoot the three pretty much for 40 minutes,” Griffin said.

Griffin said her team is getting, taking and making better shots this season. Also, freshman forward Laura Ziegler, the A-10 Rookie of the Year, opened up the floor for the entire team.

“Having that kind of player that can stretch out the floor has been really helpful,” Griffin said.

Brugler said the team was strict with each other on defense during practice, which has led to that success on both ends of the court.

“Our defense leads to our offense,” Brugler said. “Getting more stops gives us more momentum on the other side of the floor.”

From Jan. 14 to Feb. 1, the Hawks lost five of six games, none by more than six. Brugler, last season’s A-10 Rookie of the Year, said despite that rough patch, the team never lost its confidence.

“We were right there every single time,” Brugler said. “We just kept reminding ourselves that we’re right there, our time is coming.”

The Hawks managed to right the ship, winning their next three games by at least 12. Smith said they knew they just had to keep working hard.

“We kept believing in what we do and believing in each other,” Smith said.

Following that winning streak, St. Joe’s hosted the best team in the conference at the time in Rhode Island. In that matchup, the Hawks proved they can hang. It took a wild three by University of Rhode Island sophomore guard Sophie Phillips with 1.1 seconds left to beat the Hawks. After the game, Griffin acknowledged the effort her team put forward in the loss.

“I’m really proud of the way our kids came out today,” Griffin said. “We played really, really, really good basketball for about 35 minutes.”

Jekot said it was important for the team to believe that things will go their way toward the end of the season and that they were capable of beating the best teams in the conference.

“I think we had a more positive mindset instead of dwelling on games,” Jekot said. “These are the top teams in our league, and we’re right there with them.”

Despite falling to eventual A-10 champion Saint Louis in the quarterfinals, the Hawks made their first postseason appearance since 2018, losing in the first round to Seton Hall in the National Invitation Tournament.

This article was first published by the Philadelphia Inquirer on March 1, 2023 as part of the Inquirer’s college correspondent program.