Feb. 15, 2008

RICHMOND, VA - Saint Joseph's women's basketball team looks to rebound from its 59-57 loss at Charlotte Tuesday as the Hawks head to Richmond for a Saturday evening tip with the Spiders. Sixth place in the Atlantic 10 is on the line as the Hawks and Richmond enter the game tied at 4-4.

• Click here for Saint Joseph's game notes.

GAME STORIES . . .
• Saint Joseph's, which is 4-4 all-time against Richmond, has posted a 2-2 mark at the Robins Center, with a 76-56 in the most recent contest there during the 2005-06 season.
The Hawks and Spiders are participating in the WBCA's national "Think Pink" program, aimed at creating breast cancer awareness. Last Saturday, Saint Joseph's and Duquesne raised over $500 for the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition.
• Freshman center Sarah Acker, the reigning Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week, has posted four consecutive double-double heading into Saturday, averaging 15.8 points and 13.8 rebounds per game.
• Junior Jenna Loschiavo is averaging 12.7 points over the past three games, scoring 15 agaisnt Saint Louis, 13 in a win over Duquesne on Saturday and 10 at Charlotte on Tuesday. • Freshman Kallie Hovatter capped her high school career the all-time leading scorer in Virginia history, tallying 2,085 points for Stonewall Jackson High School.

LAST TIME OUT
Saint Joseph's had its three-game win streak snapped at Charlotte, 59-57. The Hawks trailed 59-57, but got the rebound off a missed 49ers free throw. With 5.3 seconds to go, the Hawks got the ball up the court quickly, but a three-pointer by Timisha Gomez was off the mark as the final horn sounded.

OF NOTE
Saint Joseph's freshman center Sarah Acker tops the Atlantic 10 in field goal percentage at 61.3 percent (117-of-191), and is shooting an impressive 71.7 percent in Atlantic 10 play.

FOR STARTERS
Through the first 24 games of the 2007-08 slate, the Hawks have used seven combinations of starters. The following is a breakdown of the starting five and Saint Joseph's records in those contests.
Starters - W-L
Logue/Acker/McDade/Loschiavo/Gomez - 3-3
Logue/Wold/McDade/Gillespie/Gomez - 1-0
Logue/Acker/Wold/McDade/Gomez - 4-2
Logue/Acker/Wold/McDade/Loschiavo - 0-1
Acker/Gillespie/McDade/Loschiavo/Gomez - 0-3
Ford/Acker/Wold/McDade/Gomez - 5-1
Ford/Acker/Gillespie/McDade/Gomez - 0-1

ACKER EARNS A-10 AND BIG 5 WEEKLY HONORS
Posting back-to-back double-doubles last week, Saint Joseph's freshman center Sarah Acker was selected Philadelphia Big 5 Co-Player of the Week and Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week for the week of February 4-10. Averaging 14.5 points and 11.5 rebounds, Acker led the Hawks to wins over Saint Louis and Duquesne, adding six blocks and four steals.

LOSCHIAVO AND ACKER ENTER HAWKS' RECORD BOOK Arguably Saint Joseph's most consistent three-point threat, junior Jenna Loschiavo has continued to etch her name in the Hawk's record book this year, climbing the ladder to seventh in three pointers made (137) and ninth in attempts (369). Freshman Sarah Acker's 39 blocks this season are ninth most in the Hawks' single season records.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
The Hawks added several five faces for the 2007-08 season with the addition of freshmen Sarah Acker, Dominique Bryant, Kallie Hovatter, Alexis Johnson and Laren Robinson. As a group, these rookies averaged 91 points and 52.5 rebounds per game as seniors in high school. Now 24 games into their collegiate careers, these newcomers have made a big impacts on Hawk Hill as the group has averaged 16.8 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.

ACK ATTACK
Having played in just 24 collegiate games, Saint Joseph's freshman Sarah Acker has already made an impact for the Hawks. Saint Joseph's leader in scoring (12.5 ppg), the Nanticoke, Pa., native currently is third in the Atlantic 10 in rebounding (8.6 rpg) and is fourth in blocks (39), with her team-leading 61.1 field goal percentage leading A-10. Acker has also earned individual accolades, being selected Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week three times (Dec. 2-9, Jan. 7-13, Feb. 4-10) and earning Hilton Philadelphia Hawk Classic All-Tournament Team honors.

MCING IT HAPPEN
Serving as backup point guard her first two seasons on Hawk Hill, junior Mary Kate McDade has thrived this year as a starter. Currently sixth in the Atlantic 10, and first on SJU, the Philadelphia native has dished out 94 assists over the first 24 games (4.08), well above her career average (1.47 apg). Also, McDade has become a bigger scoring threat this season, scoring 73 points this year, compared to 75 over her first two seasons.

GO-TO GOMEZ
It has been a solid senior season for guard Timisha Gomez. Averaging a career-high in scoring (10.0 ppg), the Elkridge, Md., native has led the Hawks in scoring five times and scored in double figures 13 times. Gomez, who has played in 117 of a potential 118 career games, earned Brown Basketball Classic All-Tournament Team honors after helping SJU to the title.

GILLESPIE GOING STRONG
It has been a breakout season for sophomore guard Amy Gillespie. Ranking fifth in scoring (7.4 ppg), second in three pointers (35) and earning Hawkeye Challenge All-Tournament Team honors, the the Springfield, Pa., native has thrived in a larger role this season. Gillespie, who averaged 21 points per game at the Hawkeye Challenge, more than tripled her entire scoring (44) and rebounding (21) totals from last season, as she enters Saturday's game with 171 points and 66 rebounds. She is also one of only three Hawks to register 20-point games twice this season.

SO NICE THEY NAMED HER IT TWICE
Having already earned MVP honors at the Brown Basketball Classic after leading SJU to the title, senior guard Amy Wold again earned some hardware, earning MVP accolades at the Hilton Philadelphia Hawk Classic. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native scored a team-high 17 points and had five assists and six rebounds in SJU's title-game win over No. 15 Auburn. Wold averaged 12.5 points, 6.0, assists and 5.0 rebounds per game in helping the Hawks to their second in-season title of the year. Over the four-game span, the senior averaged 14 points and 5.25 assists per game.

FORD TOUGH
Averaging 13 points and 6.8 rebounds per game en route to Atlantic 10 All-Tournament honors last March, forward Brittany Ford was expecting a stellar start to the 2007-08 season. That didn't occur as planned as the Wilmington, DE native missed the opening 10 games with a minor knee injury. Returning to the lineup at Seton Hall, Ford is still shaking off the rust, but has still posted solid numbers for SJU, averaging 8.3 points, 2.8 rebounds per game, to go along with 10 blocks. At Temple, Ford posted a season-high with 19 points and added five rebounds.

POST MANEUVERS
With several Hawks having a larger role this season compared to last, there is no arguing the transformation of SJU's sophomore forward Ashley Logue. Playing limited time in just seven games a year ago, Logue has excelled this year, playing in all 24 games, including 14 starts. Scoring only two points and adding six rebounds as a rookie, Logue eclipsed nearly all her career-highs in the opener at Lehigh (16 points and six rebounds). To date, Logue has scored 129 points (5.4 ppg) and added 88 boards (3.7 rpg).

GOMEZ AND ACKER EARN WEEKLY HONORS
Combining for 39 points in Saint Joseph's 68-61 win at St. Bonaventure, the Hawks' senior guard Timisha Gomez and freshman center Sarah Acker were honored for their individual performances with Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Week and Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week accolades, respectively. Earning the first Big 5 honor of her career, Gomez tallied a career-best 21 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal in the Hawks' win, while Acker was a perfect 7-of-7, scoring 18 points and adding nine boards and four blocks. Acker had previously earned A-10 weekly honors for the week of December 2-9.

WOLD NAMED BIG 5 CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Coming off MVP honors at for the Hilton Philadelphia Hawk Classic, Saint Joseph's senior guard Amy Wold was honored for her stellar play at the tournament with Big 5 Co-Player of the Week honors. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native earned the first SJU City Series weekly honor after helping the Hawks to the Hilton Philadelphia Hawk Classic title. In the championship game versus No. 15 Auburn, Wold tallied a team-high 17 points and five assists, and finished the two-game tournament with a 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per contest.

SJU CLAIMS HILTON PHILADELPHIA HAWK CLASSIC TITLE
The Hilton Philadelphia Hawk Classic championship trophy returned to Saint Joseph's as the Hawks topped NO. 15 Auburn, 71-69, in the title game (recap on page 18). The Hawks earned the title, the sixth in 17 years, backed by MVP Amy Wold and All-Tournament Team member Sarah Acker's 17 and 16 points, respectively. Saint Joseph's previously won the Hawk Classic in 1993, 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001. The Hawks topped NJIT, 68-59, in the opening round as senior guard Timisha Gomez paced SJU with 16 points.

HEART OF A HAWK
In addition to athletics and academics, community service has long been one of the traditions of the Saint Joseph's University women's basketball program. The "Heart of a Hawk" program is the team's way of "giving back" to the community. Each student athlete is required to complete a minimum of 10 hours of community service each semester.

SAINT JOSEPH'S VERSUS THE POLLS
Topping No. 15 Auburn in the title game of the Hilton Philadelphia Hawk Classic, Saint Joseph's improved to 31-104 all-time versus ranked opponents and 1-2 on the season. The Hawks previously lost to No. 5/6 Rutgers, 56-50, November 28 and to No. 21/22 Wyoming, 66-64, on December 8. The Hawk last win over a ranked team prior to Saturday came on March 4, 2007 as SJU topped No. 8/9 George Washington, 57-55. For a complete list of the SJU's results versus ranked opponents, please see page 138 of the Saint Joseph's media guide.

CAPTAINS ON THE DECK
Saint Joseph's Head Coach Cindy Griffin named seniors Timisha Gomez, Krista Hutchison and junior Mary Kate McDade as the team's captains for the 2007-08 season. All three Hawks are first-time captains.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Hawks return home for the week, starting with a Wednesday matchup with Temple. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m., with the game being broadcast on www.sjuhawks.com