Women’s basketball honors seniors with a win
The Saint Joseph’s University women’s basketball team celebrated their senior class on Feb. 18 following a 15-point victory over the Davidson University Wildcats.
The Hawks played the Wildcats tight for most of the first quarter, but trailed by a point, 10-9, with less than three minutes to go. Sophomore Alyssa Monaghan hit a 3-pointer to give St. Joe’s a 12-10 lead. Sophmore Kristalyn Baisden knocked down another 3-pointer for the Hawks to extend their lead to 5 points before the first intermission.
St. Joe’s opened the second quarter with five unanswered points, making it an 11-0 run for the Hawks. St. Joe’s would extend their lead to as many as 12 points before halftime, but held just a 26-22 lead at the break.
“I thought we started out strong and then we allowed Davidson to come back in,” said Head Coach Cindy Griffin. “They [Davidson] were relentless.”
About midway through the third quarter, the Wildcats got within 3 points of St. Joe’s, but Monaghan took it upon herself to once again give the Hawks some room for comfort. After a made jump shot, St. Joe’s got a stop on the defensive end. Senior Mackenzie Rule missed a 3-point attempt on the ensuing possession, but an offensive rebound from junior Adashia Franklyn gave the Hawks a second opportunity in which Monaghan would hit a 3-pointer. Immediately after, Monaghan stole the ball from Davidson’s Justine Lyon and scored a layup on the other end, completing a 7-0 run for St. Joe’s and more specifically for Monaghan.
“It was nice to see that we were relentless on the offensive boards and we got a lot of activity and we just stayed with plays,” Griffin said. “That’s a sign of maturity.”
Up 9 points headed into the final quarter of action, the Hawks didn’t allow the deficit to alter too much. Toward the end of the game, St. Joe’s extended the lead with free throws and eventually claimed the victory with a score of 69-54.
“I was proud of the way our team, when there was resistance, pushed back,” Griffin said. “I thought that was a great sign with where we are right now in the season.”
Monaghan finished the game with 21 points, four assists and four rebounds. Franklyn contributed a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Chelsea Woods added another 11 points and senior Amanda Fioravanti chipped in with another 10 points of her own.
“We do have some answers,” Griffin said. “I think we have an outside presence and an inside presence. Having a balanced attack I think makes us hard to guard.”
After the game, the Hawks honored their four seniors: Fioravanti, Rule, Jaryn Garner and Jazmin Horne.
“Today was our senior day and I’m glad we could get the win for our seniors,” Griffin said. “Mackenzie’s been with us for all four years. The other three are transfers and then the two managers. Each brings something different to the table, but the bottom line is they know what the Hawk spirit is all about. They know about ‘The Hawk Will Never Die’ and I think that’s going to carry with them for the rest of their lives. They brought a level of intensity and a level of grit that we needed.”
Rule, who served as a team captain this season, really embodies the level of intensity Griffin referenced with the seniors.
“Our team motto is ‘Never let good enough be enough,’” Rule said in an interview a few days prior to the start of the season.
St. Joe’s will begin play in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament on Feb. 25 in Hagan Arena.
