SJU Athletics Photos

PHILADELPHIA (1/28/01) ­ Trailing for nearly the entire contest, the St. Joseph's women (11-9, 5-4 A-10) rallied back behind the play of Susan Moran and appeared poised to claim a win on the road, but Duquesne (10-9, 3-5 A-10) overcame a five-point deficit with less than a minute to play and squeaked out a 69-66 win. Moran led all scorers with 26-points and 8 rebounds. Playing without Angela Zampella, who missed the first game of her career with a stress fracture, Moran strapped the Hawks on her back and carried the team within seconds of victory. She scored 20 points in the second half and connected on a perfect 12-12 from the line for the game. After Moran knocked down consecutive free throws to put SJU up by five points with 59 seconds remaining, it appeared that SJU would come away with the win. The Dukes, however, sandwiched a layup and a three-point play around an Amra Mehmedic free throw to slice the lead to just a single point with 20 seconds remaining. A Duke steal and Hawk fouls on the ensuing inbound plays allowed DU to move in front bythree. A layup by Moran trimmed the lead to one, but after the Dukes converted a pair of free throws, SJU was unable to get off a desperation three-pointer to force a tie. Duquesne jumped on top of the Hawks from the opening tip and SJU was forced to play a game of catchup throughout the contest. SJU led just once during the game's first 37 minutes, taking a brief 18-17 advantage at the 8 minute mark of the first half.DU then went on an 18-5 run to go up by 12-points just before intermission. Mehmedic drained a three at the halftime buzzer to make the score 35-26 at the break. The Crimson and Gray opened the second half with a 9-0 run to tie the game at 35 apiece. The teams then took turns with DU pushing out to a 5-7 point lead and SJU battling back. SJU finally claimed the lead again after a pair of free throws by Jane Meade with 2:42 left in the contest. Free throws were critical for the Hawks down the stretch, as they connected on 13-14 at the line in the final four minutes. For the game SJU was 22-26 at the stripe. Mehmedic finished with 13 points. Stephanie Graff added 9 points and 6 rebounds for SJU. The Hawks return to play on Friday against crosstown rival Temple. The resurgent Owls are off to their best start in a decade. The teams faceoff at the Liacouras Center at 7:00 p.m.