How dominant was St. Joe’s in its win over Davidson? The Hawks gave up just 4 fourth-quarter points.
On a day full of reunions, first-place St. Joe's led wire-to-wire as Mackenzie Smith and Laura Ziegler posted double-doubles.
It was an afternoon of reunions as St. Joseph’s faced Davidson on Saturday afternoon.
Graduate guard Chloe Welch found herself playing against her former team of five seasons for the first time since transferring to St. Joe’s.
“It’s kind of tough to go in with that same competitive mindset against the people that I have a lot of love for, and then to hear them cheering against me,” Welch said after the Hawks’ 68-42 win over the Wildcats. “Obviously, I’m very happy to be at St. Joe’s, but it’s just a very hard dynamic to navigate as a player.”
But Welch and her Davidson teammates weren’t the only ones reuniting. Former players returned to Hawk Hill for alumni day, including members of the inaugural 1974 team coached by Ellen Ryan.
After a slow start, sophomore Laura Ziegler put the St. Joe’s on the board 2 minutes, 24 seconds into the first quarter, giving it a lead over Davidson (14-6, 4-5 Atlantic 10) that they carried for the remainder of the game. The Hawks’ 19-2 record (8-1 A-10) is the third-best start in program history.
The familiarity extended past Welch as the teams played similar styles of defense.
“We’re used to playing against that type of style of play every day in practice, so that helped us,” junior Talya Brugler said.
Added head coach Cindy Griffin: “I just can’t emphasize enough how well our defense is really growing together as a team. When you hold a team to [42] points and four points in the fourth, it’s pretty special.”
Entering into the game second in the A-10 in field-goal percentage (45.1%) the Wildcats shot just 30% on Saturday, one of the things that hurt them the most. Their 42 points were the second-fewest this season.
The Hawks showed up offensively, too. Brugler (19), Ziegler (14), Welch (13), and Mackenzie Smith (12) put up double figures for the Hawks, who outscored the Wildcats, 21-4, in the fourth quarter.
» READ MORE: Sophomore Laura Ziegler is becoming an ‘influential’ leader for St. Joe’s. Here’s how.
Ziegler and Smith also grabbed 10 boards each four double-doubles. This extended Ziegler’s double-double streak to five. Freshman Gabby Casey also had double-figure rebounds, pacing the Hawks with 11. As a team, St. Joe’s outrebounded Davidson, 43-23.
“It helps us out a lot. We were able to keep them mostly to one shot every possession,” Brugler said of the Hawks’ rebounding success. “Gabby Casey came in and was rebounding well for us, and obviously Mack and Laura, Chloe as well, just being able to keep them out of the paint, get one-and-done, and push the ball in transitions.”
As Ziegler looks to extend her streak to six, the Hawks, who’ve won six straight, also look to remain undefeated on the road as they head west to face Loyola Chicago (11-8, 5-3) on Wednesday (7 p.m., ESPN+). St. Joe’s currently holds a program-record 10-0 road mark and has the most road wins without a loss in Division I.
At first place in the A-10, the Hawks are feeling confident, but their approach stays consistent.
“We approach every game like it’s a championship game, with that mentality,” Brugler said. “We are really locked in on the prep days at practice and taking it very seriously, and then we’re giving it our all.”