Depth on display as St. Joe’s ties a program record in its regular-season finale

After losing two of its last three games, it was beginning to look like St. Joseph’s was faltering at the most inopportune time.

With one final chance to get back on the right foot before the Atlantic 10 women’s basketball tournament, the Hawks pulled out a 77-73 road win over Duquesne on Saturday. The win ties the program record for most in a season.

The win secured a double bye for St. Joe’s heading into the tournament. Richmond (26-5, 16-2 A-10) took the No. 1 seed, while No. 2 seed VCU (26-4, 15-3) held the tiebreaker over No. 3 seed St. Joe’s (26-4, 15-3). George Mason (23-6, 14-4) snagged the final spot in the top four. Saturday’s loss left Duquesne (18-11, 13-5) as the No. 5 seed.

With their seed set, here are three keys from Saturday’s win that will loom large in the A-10 tournament, which for St. Joe’s starts at 7:30 p.m. Friday:

Duquesne entered the game third in the A-10 in three-point percentage (34.9%).

The Hawks made defending the three a priority and held the Dukes to 29.2 (7-of-24) from deep. By forcing them inside the arc and keeping that pressure going all afternoon, St. Joe’s kept the game tight. That lockdown defense will come in handy for the Hawks, who allow 53.3 points per game, the fifth-fewest in Division I.

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The Dukes held St. Joe’s leading scorer Talya Brugler scoreless in the first half Saturday. They held Chloe Welch, who averages double figures, to just five points.

But that wasn’t enough to keep the Hawks down.

St. Joe’s features four players who average double figures, and Laura Ziegler and Mackenzie Smith stepped up. Ziegler, in her second game back from an injury, put up 16 points in the first half alone and finished with a career-high 27. She added a game-high 12 rebounds and six assists. Smith finished with 24 points, while Brugler added nine.

That depth that was so crucial Saturday will be key as the Hawks gear up for a postseason push.

To avoid back-to-back losses for the first time all season, St. Joe’s needed to go back to the basics. And if there is one area in which the Hawks have been consistent in all season, it’s being a second-half team.

Trailing by two to start the third quarter, St. Joe’s used a 16-2 run to grab a 10-point lead in what had been a tight game.

While Smith and Zeigler ran the show, Brugler came alive in the second half as well. Along with her nine points, she added six rebounds and two blocks.