St. Joseph’s was determined not to let history repeat itself.
Even though it nearly did.
Facing Rhode Island for the second year in a row in the quarterfinals, the Hawks exacted revenge, capturing a 53-50 overtime win to advance to the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 women’s tournament.
Next up for the Hawks is top-seeded Richmond at the Henrico Sports & Events Center in Glen Allen, Va., on Saturday (11 a.m., CBS Sports Network) for a chance to make it to the championship game Sunday.
After losing four of their last five games entering the tournament, Hawks head coach Cindy Griffin knew this first game would be the toughest while her team acclimated to postseason play.
“We knew it was going to be a really tight game,” Griffin said. “Possession-wise, their offense is very good, and our defense is very good, so it was just a game of inches really down the stretch.”
Slimmest of margins
Entering the second half with a 24-18 lead, the Hawks struggled to shake the Rams, who took the lead early in the fourth quarter. But a three-point shot from sophomore Gabby Casey put St. Joe’s back in the game, then senior Mackenzie Smith brought it within one. Following her jumper, Smith made 1 of 2 attempts from the line to tie the game and force overtime.
The Hawks didn’t score a single field goal during the extra five minutes, but once again, free throws kept them in the game. Senior Talya Brugler contributed four points from the charity stripe while junior Laura Ziegler added another.
Battles against Rhode Island in the postseason have become commonplace for St. Joseph’s. Brugler noted that this is St. Joseph’s first trip to the semifinals since her freshman year, which also came at the expense of the Rams.
“It does feel like a full-circle moment,” Brugler said. “We kind of entered with a bit of a chip on our shoulder, trying to enter into that same mentality that we had when we were freshmen coming in today.”
While St. Joe’s was able to advance, turnovers were a problem for the Hawks. They gave up the ball 21 times and the Rams took advantage, putting up 22 points off those turnovers. The Hawks made up for it on the glass, grabbing 43 rebounds. Griffin said she knew that would be a key to success.
“Rhode Island isn’t a high-efficient offensive production as far as they only average about 61 points a game,” Griffin said, “but they certainly get to the glass, and they certainly get multiple opportunities, and they work really, really hard at those opportunities. So we knew if we took away their primary options, we just couldn’t give them second shots and play backboard basketball.”