Photos: Ryan Nix
By: Mia Messina
PHILADELPHIA – Top-seeded Saint Joseph’s downed University of Albany 69-40 in the first round of the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament on Thursday night.
The Hawks went on a 15-4 run to start the game before a time out from Albany broke up the momentum and allowed the Great Danes to fight their way back. Throughout the first half, St. Joe’s struggled to secure a truly dominant lead for itself, with Albany consistently erasing any real damage the Hawks could do. It wasn’t until the end of the second quarter that St. Joe’s was able to grab and hold onto a double-figure lead, entering halftime up 31-21.
SJU vs. UAlbany - PSD Gallery by Ryan Nix
“[I] was really pleased with the way our team came out today in the first quarter and the third quarter,” SJU coach Cindy Griffin said. “I think it really set the tone for the rest of the game.”
The Hawks came out hot to start the second half, holding Albany to just eight points while netting 17, to increase their lead to nearly 20 points by the end of the third quarter. By the middle of the fourth quarter the Hawks were up by 30.
Fifth-year Kayla Cooper had a game-high 22 points, more than half of the Great Danes total points. For the Hawks, the scoring was more spread out with junior Laura Ziegler pacing St. Joe’s with 16, sophomore Aleah Snead followed with 14, and seniors Mackenzie Smith and Talya Brugler rounded out double-figure scoring with 11 each.
St. Joe’s also owned the glass, out-rebounding Albany 53-28, with the Hawks grabbing 25 offensive boards.
“We put ourselves in a position to win early and then the second half it was just too much,” Albany coach Collen Mullen said. “Giving up 25 offensive boards, that’s going to be really hard to win.”
Meanwhile, just a little bit down Lancaster Avenue, it was Villanova who found themselves fighting its way back from the wrong end of a 15-4 deficit. But the Wildcats came out the other side with a 76-70 win.
The two Philly schools will meet in the second round of the tournament on St. Joe’s home court.
Ziegler said going into the WBIT they knew there was a high chance of the two teams meeting again. In a tournament where most of the teams are unfamiliar opponents, playing Villanova is going to be the exact opposite.
“I don’t even know how many times I’ve played them in my three years here, but it’s always fun to get a rematch,” Ziegler said.
Last season, the Hawks bested the Wildcats in the regular season before falling to Villanova in the quarterfinals of the inaugural WBIT.
This season, it was Villanova that came out on top during the regular season matchup. As for the postseason, well that all comes down to the “little details” on Sunday.
SJU junior Laura Ziegler talks about playing Villanova in the WBIT second round - PSD Video by Mia Messina
SJU head coach Cindy Griffin lauds opponent UAlbany and notes the Hawks are "Always Ready to Go!" - PSD Video by Mia Messina
UAlbany head coach Colleen Mullen was proud of her team, especially 5th year grad student Kayla Cooper - PSD Video by Mia Messina
“It’s definitely a game we’re looking forward to,” Ziegler said. “It’s going to be a different kind of preparations because we know them so well. It’s really going to come down to all the small details when we play them, but it’s going to be fun. It’s going to be good to get a rematch.”