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St. Joe’s falls to Atlantic 10 foe VCU, ends 11-game winning streak

After Wednesday night's loss to the Rams, the Hawks fell to second in the A-10 standings.

St. Joe’s Talya Brugler looks up at the clock in the fourth quarter against UMass on Feb. 3. The Hawks fell to VCU, 59-48, Wednesday night on the road.
St. Joe’s Talya Brugler looks up at the clock in the fourth quarter against UMass on Feb. 3. The Hawks fell to VCU, 59-48, Wednesday night on the road.Read moreElizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
    by Mia Messina
    Published 

The St. Joseph’s women’s basketball team saw its 11-game win streak snapped and fell out of a tie for first place in the Atlantic 10 in a 59-48 loss to VCU on Wednesday night in Richmond, Va. It was the Hawks’ first road loss of the season after 13 wins.

In a game featuring the second (VCU) and third (St. Joe’s) scoring defenses in the nation, it was no surprise that Wednesday’s matchup was a low-scoring, high-energy showdown.

The Hawks (24-3, 13-2 A-10) started strong and entered halftime with a 36-23 lead. But the Rams (23-4, 12-3) erased their deficit with a 14-2 run early in the third quarter, and trailed just 42-40 going into the fourth quarter.

The Hawks were unable to fight their way back in the final frame and were outscored 36-12 in the second half.

Laura Ziegler paced St. Joe’s with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists. Chloe Welch (12) and Mackenzie Smith (10) also scored in double figures for the Hawks.

The Rams held held junior Talya Brugler, the Hawks’ leading scorer (16.4 points per game), to just seven points. Sarah Te-Biasu had a game-high 16 points for VCU and led the team to coach Beth O’Boyle’s 168th win with the Rams, making her the winningest coach in program history.

With two conference losses, the Hawks fell to second in the A-10 behind Richmond (24-4, 14-1), which handed them their first conference loss on Jan. 6.

» READ MORE: Temple women strengthen their postseason chances with their third straight win

St. Joe’s will return to action Saturday against Rhode Island (17-11, 9-6) in a 2 p.m. game at Hagan Arena.