SJU Athletics Photos

PHILADELPHIA (2/11/01) ­ A frantic St. Joseph's rally fell just short as George Washington (17-8, 11-2 A-10) held on for a 63-58 victory at the Fieldhouse. The Hawks (13-11, 7-6 A-10) trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half but whittled the lead down to just four points on two occasions. Junior Susan Moran led SJU with 27 points and 9 rebounds. After SJU's Amra Mehmedic knotted the game at 29-29 with a three-point basket to open the second half, G.W. seized control of the game. A 23-5 run by the hot-shooting Colonials gave the Blue and Gold its largest lead of the game at 52-34. The Hawks, however, would not quit and SJU stepped up its play on both ends of the floor. Moran led the Hawks on a 20-6 spurt, which brought the game within striking distance late. The Tullamore Ireland native scored ten points during the surge, while freshmen Irina Krasnoshiok and Elizabeth "Hootie" Mohan knocked down crucial three-point buckets. The Colonials clung to a precarious 60-56 advantage with less than three minutes remaining. In the waning minutes, SJU had several chances to narrow the gap further, but were unable to get any closer. The G.W. defense snuffed out several Hawk attempts and numerous field goal tries by SJU clanked off the mark. When time finally expired on the Hawks, SJU fell by a 63-58 count. SJU struggled to find its shooting range in the contest, hitting just 34.5% from the floor and 25% from beyond the arc. G.W. meanwhile overcame a poor shooting first half and connected on 52% from the field after the break. The win was the Colonials third straight in the series. The Crimson and Gray played with passion through out the game and held the advantage for much of the first half. A three-point basket by Krasnoshiok opened the scoring and SJU slowly crept a head. The Hawks biggest lead, nine-points, came with 6:02 to play in the first half. A 16-4 outburst by George Washington closed the half and put the Colonials by three points at halftime, 29-26. With 27 points, Moran surpassed the 1,500 point plateau for her career. She became just the fifth Hawk to achieve the milestone, joining Dale Hodges, Teresa Carmichael, Katie Curry and Kim Foley. Angela Zampella added 9 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals. She is just 42 points shy of joining the 1,500 point club. Krasnoshiok chipped in 8 points. Four Colonials finished in double figures, led by Eleana Vishniakova's 12 points and 10 rebounds. Kristeena Alexander (11 pts.), Erica Lawrence (10 pts.), and Ugo Oha (10 pts.) also scored in double digits. St. Joseph's takes to the hardwood again on Friday against Xavier in Cincinnati, Ohio. SJU will be making its first visit to the Musketeers new home, The Cintas Center, when the teams tip-off at 7:00 p.m.