SJU Athletics Photos

PHILADELPHIA (02/04/01) ­ Freshman Stephanie Graff posted a double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds) and junior Susan Moran added 25 points to lead St. Joseph's (12-10, 6-5 A-10) to a 67-50 win over Rhode Island (9-13, 2-8) at the Fieldhouse. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Hawks, while also giving the squad its tenth consecutive win over the Rams. It was a breakout game for Graff, who earned the first double-double of her collegiate career after posting career-highs in both points (16) and rebounds (11). A starter in the Hawks' first five games, she struggled to find her rhythm in the season's early stages and soon found herself coming off the bench. She has seen her minutes and numbers increase, however since Reggi Grennan took the helm of the Hawks. Graff is averaging 8.6 points and almost five rebounds per outing over the last five contests. Similar to the last outing between the two schools, SJU took control of the game early. Sparked by a 16-4 run, the Crimson and Gray turned a slim 8-6 advantage into a 24-10 lead. Angela Zampella orchestrated the SJU surge dishing out five of her eight first half assists during the spurt. Moran, who had 12 points at the break was the recipient of three of those passes. St. Joseph's shot 51% in the first stanza and led at halftime by fifteen points, 33-18. In the second half the tag-team inside presence of Graff and Moran wore down URI. After the Rams sliced the Hawk advantage to six-points with a 13-4 run to open the second half, Moran and Graff proceeded to score 19 of SJU's final 27 points. In the end, the Hawks pulled away for the win with the game's final 17-point margin, 67-50, being the games largest. Zampella finished with 8 points and 11 assists. Elizabeth "Hootie" Mohan, who made her first career start in place of an injured Jane Meade, added 4 points and 5 rebounds. Rhode Island received 15 ponts and 7 caroms from Yatar Kuyateh and 10 points and 5 assist from Neda Djuric. SJU continues a three-game homestand next weekend. The Hawks will host St. Bonaventure on Friday at 7:00 p.m., while George Washington visits Philadelphia for a noon-time tip-off on Sunday. That game will be televised nationally on the Atlantic 10 Television Network and can be viewed locally on Comcast SportsNet.