Women's Basketball Welcomes Boston College To Hagan Arena On Thursday

Game To Be Televised at 7 p.m. On The Comcast Network

Sophomore Erin Shields will lead SJU against her sister, Keri and Boston College on Thursday.

Dec. 28, 2011

PHILADELPHIA - Saint Joseph's women's basketball team rides a two-game win streak into Thursday's meeting with Boston College. The game, scheduled for a 7 p.m. start at Hagan Arena, will be televised on The Comcast Network.

Saint Joseph's Game Notes

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GAME STORIES . . .
• Saint Joseph's is coming off wins against Saint Francis (Pa.) and UCLA at Hagan Arena.
• The Hawks are 5-0 at Hagan Arena this season and won six straight dating back to last year. SJU has won its five home games this year by an average of 14 points per game.
• Saint Joseph's win over UCLA improved the Hawks' record to 6-6 all-time against Pac 12 teams. It also marked the first win against a Pac 12 team since a 81-72 victory over USC on November 16, 2001 at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.
• Thursday's matchup with Boston College is just the sixth meeting between the two Jesuit colleges. The Eagles hold a 4-1 edge and ended SJU's season last year with an 86-59 win in the second round of the WNIT.
• SJU guard Erin Shields scored a career-high 21 points at BC last year, while her sister, Keri, led the Eagles with 26 points.
• Their mother, Renie (nee Dunne) was a standout on the hardwood at Saint Joseph's from 1978-82 and a member of both SJU Athletics and Big 5 Halls of Fame. She is currently the Associate Athletic Director for Varsity Programs at Saint Joseph's.
• Thursday's game is also a Jesuit Basketball Spotlight contest.
• Senior Katie Kuester enters Thursday's game tied with Amy Facer (1993-97) for 10th all-time in SJU history with 128 career three-point field goals.

Series History - Saint Joseph's vs. Boston College
All-Time Series: Boston College Leads 4-1
Last Meeting: 3/19/11, BC, 86-59
Last SJU Win: 12/8/06, 58-54
Last BC Win: 3/19/11, 86-59
Current SJU Streak: L-1

LAST TIME OUT: HAWKS HOLD OFF UCLA, 64-60
Taking control early and hitting key free throws late, Saint Joseph's downed UCLA, 64-60. The Hawks never trailed and hit 13-of-16 free throws in the final three minutes to hold off a late Bruin run and improve to 7-4 on the year.

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
A mainstay with any Cindy Griffin squad, this year's Hawks are proving to be one of the best teams in the nation in handling the basketball. Currently, Saint Joseph's ranks 11th in th nation in turnovers per game (13.1), and have posted six games of 11 turnovers or fewer, including a season-low four turnovers at #8 Maryland.

THE HAWKS' IRONWOMAN
Senior guard Michelle Baker has been the Hawks' Ironwoman since 2008-09. Beginning as a freshman, Baker has appeared in all 106 games for SJU, while making 54 starts. She is currently averaging 8.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game for her career.

DEFENSE THE DIFFERENCE
A staple for the Hawks over the years has been their tenacious defense. This season it has continued as Saint Joseph's has held opponents to 148-for-428 from the floor (34.6 percent) in its six wins. Additionally, the Hawks held Lehigh, Drexel and Saint Francis (Pa.) under 30 percent shooting in wins.

CAVALLO RANKS AMONG ALL-TIME BLOCKS LEADERS
With 94 career blocked shots to her credit, senior Kelly Cavallo is fourth in program history in career rejections. The starting forward is coming off a career-high 45 blocks a year ago and set a new personal best with six rejections against Sacred Heart.

ROAD WOES
Saint Joseph's has struggled in its road contests so far this season as the Hawks are just 1-4 in those games. In the four losses - to Princeton, Vermont, #8 Maryland and Villanova - SJU has been outscored 305-246, or on average 76-62.

VAN GRINSVEN REACHS 1,000 POINT MARK FOR CAREER
Senior Samira van Grinsven surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career with a second-half basket at Lafayette. The two-year starter has tallied 307 points over 43 games in Crimson and Gray after scoring 723 points her first two collegiate seasons at Casper College, good for 1,030 total points.

KUESTER SJU'S ALL-TIME LEADER IN FT PERCENTAGE
Senior Katie Kuester enters her final season as a Hawk as the program's all-time leader in free throw percentage. Knocking down 112 of 130 shots for 86.1 percent, she is coming off a career-best 70 free throws made last year.

SHIELDS AND PRIM POST FORMIDABLE DUO
Having the option of junior Ashley Prim or sophomore Erin Shields run the point is a welcomed opportunity for the Hawks. Combining for 197 of the team's 475 assists last year, the duo were terrific with the ball in 2010-11 posting a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio. This season, the pair have accounted for 57 of SJU's 151 assists and are averaging 17.7 points per game together.

WORTH THE WAIT
Having missed the previous two seasons due to inury, redshirt sophomore Ashley Robinson has shown to be a steady force in the paint for SJU. Posting an 18-point, 10 rebound performance in the season opener at Princeton, she ranks third among SJU post players in scoring (6.6 ppg), second overall in blocked shots (7) and third in rebounding (5.0 rpg).

PARKER MAKES MOST OF HER MINUTES
After playing just 38 minutes over 11 games as a rookie, sophomore guard Kasie Parker has made a strong presence off the bench for the Hawks this year. Averaging 11.9 minutes per game over the opening 11 contests, Parker has given SJU a boost off the bench, adding 4.0 points and 1.0 assists per game so far this year.