Cornish Leads Saint Joseph's Past Charlotte, 67-59 :: Hawks improve to to 6-4 in Atlantic 10

Feb. 11, 2007

PHILADELPHIA - Led by a game-high 23 points from senior guard Ayahna Cornish, the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team topped Charlotte, 67-59, Sunday afternoon at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.

After a slow start to the game, Saint Joseph's took control. Down 3-0 to start, the Hawks put together an 8-0 run from 16:39 to 15:05, opening a five-point advantage on a pair of free throws by senior guard Whitney Ffrench.

Leading 11-9, the Hawks opened its lead to as many as 14 behind an 18-6 run that spanned nearly 10 minutes. Saint Joseph's freshman forward Brittany Ford put SJU up 29-15 with a layup with 2:03 left in the first half.

Charlotte would outscore the Hawks 7-4 to end the half, but the Hawks still held a 33-22 edge heading into halftime.

In the second half, both teams had quick offensive spurts to start, but Saint Joseph's retained its 11-point lead, 41-30, with 16:17 left in the game.

Down 11, the 49ers strung together a 9-1 run over the next four minutes to cut their deficit to three, 42-39 on a Whitney Hoey three pointer.

Seeing its lead cut to three, Saint Joseph's maintained its composure and retained its lead. The Hawks would up their lead to nine, 62-53 with 3:33 remaining and would go 6-of-8 from the line to cap the victory.

For the game, the Hawks went 20-of-51 from the floor (39.2 percent), 3-of-9 from three-point range, and 24-of-29 from the foul line (82.8 percent). At the other end, Charlotte shot 24-of-61 (39.3), 4-of-12 (33.3 percent) and 7-of-14 from the foul line.

Individually, Cornish led all scorers with 23 points and added a team-high eight rebounds. Ffrench was the only other Hawk to score in double figures with 12 points and four assists.

Danielle Burgin led the 49ers with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Sabrina Gregory added 15 points.

With the loss, the Hawks fall to 14-10 on the season and 6-4 in Atlantic 10 play. Charlotte improves to 17-8 on the year and 8-2 in conference play.

Saint Joseph's returns to action Thursday, February 15, as the Hawks host St. Bonaventure at 7 p.m. There will be a pregame ceremony prior to the game honoring Saint Joseph's four seniors playing in their final home game for the Hawks.