(PHOTOS/VIDEO BY LENNIE MALMGREN FOR PSD)
BY MIA MESSINA
PHILA.-- A three-point jumper from Maddie Burke with 4.7 seconds left in the game allowed Villanova to take the lead over Saint Joseph, ending the Hawks’ season in the second round of the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament with a 62-60 loss.
It was aggressive. It was tough. It was close. It was everything you’d expect from a Big 5 post-season matchup.
And it was the second year in a row, the Wildcats put an end to the Hawks’ season.
“It's just one of those situations that if we could get it back, we'd get it back, but this time of year, you can't get it back,” St. Joe’s head coach Cindy Griffin said. “You got to give Villanova credit. I mean, two threes there in the last 45 seconds, they made those plays. But it doesn't take away from the year that we've had and the team's accomplishments, and also the way that this team has showed up every day.”
SJU head coach Cindy Griffin with junior forward Laura Ziegler in PostGame Press conference. (video/ Mia Messina for PSD)
SJU Head Coach Cindy Griffin talks about her teams perseverance in postgame press conference. (Video/ Mia Messina)
Villanova (19-14) came out hot to start the game, but St. Joe’s (24-9) quickly went on a 16-3 run to grab the lead. Senior Talya Brugler went 6/6 on free throws to help fuel the run. But Villanova quickly clawed their way back in the second quarter, tying the game three times before taking the lead.
The Wildcats held on to a five-point lead that the Hawks struggled to erase during the second quarter. Their struggle to shoot from long range was a large contributing factor to this. While Villanova shot 36% from beyond the arc in the first half, St. Joe’s knocked down just one three on seven attempts. They didn’t make a single three-pointer in the second half, finishing the game one in 10.
But once again, the game flipped with an eight-point run to start third quarter, featuring back-to-back shots by junior Laura Ziegler followed by back-to-back shots from Brugler.
With the Hawks leading by one going into the fourth quarter, St. Joe’s and Villanova went back and forth until another mini run from the Hawks allowed them to take the lead, until Burke and the Wildcats had other plans.
With Brugler, Mackenzie Smith, and the rest of the senior class moving on, Griffin said she will be “forever in debt” for what they have contributed to the program’s culture and standard. As for their final game in Hagan Arena, Griffin said it was a good game for women’s basketball.
“You saw a great game,” Griffin said. “Anything that we can do to promote the sport, that's what we're going to do.”
But despite the unfortunate ending, Griffin still acknowledged how far her team has come and the character they bring to their brand of St. Joe’s basketball.
“This time of year, you want to coach kids that want to be coached, and you want to coach players that want to play,” Griffin said. “And this team never wavered.”
Saint Joseph's in WBIT game vs. Villanova (Highlights by Lennie Malmgren for PSD)
Griffin noted the highs and lows of the season, specifically the disappointment of the past few weeks. The Hawks lost in the A-10 championship game. They were one of the first teams out of making the NCAA tournament. But despite the disappointment, Griffin said that she never had to worry if her team was ready to go for what was next.
“They showed up. They showed out. And that just says a lot about the character and the commitment to St Joe's basketball,” Griffin said.
Ziegler led all scorers with 19 points, Brugler registered 18 points, and Smith had 13 points.
