Women’s basketball advances in Atlantic 10 tournament
After losing to the University of Rhode Island Rams in last year’s Atlantic 10 Tournament, there was quite a sense of urgency for the Saint Joseph’s University women’s basketball team on Feb. 25. That urgency started on the defensive end for St. Joe’s, as they held Rhode Island to 51 points on 34 percent shooting for the game. Rhode Island had trouble getting good shots and could not get into a rhythm offensively.
“That is the difference between a third-place team and a last place team unfortunately,” said Rhode Island Head Coach Daynia La-Force after the 26 point loss. “We didn’t execute well, and we were helter-skelter all over the place.”
This game marked the ninth win in the last 11 games for St. Joe’s over Rhode Island, and they are now 54-8 all-time against the Rams.
Offensively, junior forward Adashia Franklyn tied her career high with 23 points and added 7 rebounds in 25 minutes in the contest. She was also part of the turning point in the game, when she had a block leading to an and-one by junior Chelsea Woods, and a technical foul on La-Force. That play, started by Franklyn, broke the spirit of the Rhode Island team.
“Us losing last year in the first round to Rhode Island really put something deep in me,” Franklyn said about her motivation for the game. “When I am doing hard work, my team is going to do better.”
That hard work really showed as she went to the free throw line 13 times, giving Rhode Island’s defense trouble on the inside.
Another big contributor for the Hawks was Woods, the team’s leading scorer.Woods poured in 17 points and grabbed six rebounds. Her scoring provides a spark off the bench that is unmatched by any other team in the conference.
“Chelsea has been so consistent for us all season coming off the bench,” said Assistant Coach John Hampton. “It causes a lot of teams’ issues because she is one of our better players. So, their secondary players aren’t as good as her, and she has an opportunity to take advantage of some players that aren’t as strong.”
Hampton described Chelsea’s presence off the bench as a “sense of comfort” for the rest of the team as she supplies a team leading 13.5 points per game and a competitive fire for an undersized forward.
The third player in double-figures for St. Joe’s was sophomore guard Alyssa Monaghan. Monaghan supplied the Hawks with 13 points and three of the team’s five 3-pointers. Her 3-point presence helped Franklyn get more space under the basket to operate, and when the Rams pressed on Franklyn, Monaghan had great looks from long-range. Her skills are going to be key for the Hawks moving forward, as the team has only shot 29 percent from downtown on the season.
This was the 500th game for Cindy Griffin as head coach, and a 26-point drubbing of Rhode Island was the right way to celebrate.
St. Joe’s will play Big-5 rival La Salle University down at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Va., and Hampton can’t wait to get started.
“I’m really excited,” Hampton said. “It’s the third time around so it is going to be a challenging game. I know our girls are going to be ready for it.” It is rare in sports for a team to beat the same opponent three times in one season. That is the challenge that St. Joe’s is up against in the second round of the conference tournament. If the Hawks can defeat La Salle for a third time on March 3, they will advance to the A-10 semi-finals.
