Saint Joseph's Travels to Villanova Wednesday For Big 5 Women's Basketball Matchup

Dec. 4, 2007

VILLANOVA, PA - Saint Joseph's women's basketball team looks to keep its momentum after winning this past weekend's Brown Classic as the Hawks head to Villanova for a Big 5 matchup with the Wildcats Wednesday. Game time is set for 7 p.m., with audio streaming free on www.sjuhawks.com.

• Click here for Saint Joseph's game notes.

GAME STORIES . . .
• Saint Joseph's and Villanova meet for the 34th time come Wednesday with the Hawks holding a 23-10 edge, including a 56-48 win last season at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.
• Both the Hawks and Wildcats look to stay unbeaten in Big 5 play as SJU enters Wednesday's contest 1-0 in the City Series, while Villanova has gone 2-0 on the season.
• Saint Joseph's is 10-6 in away contests versus Villanova, with the Wildcats having won the previous two contests on their home court (64-55 on 12/11/05 and 72-68 on 12/9/03).
• SJU has won a Big 5 record 84 contests, one ahead of Villanova (83).
• The Hawks, looking to improve to 6-2 on the season, won the Brown Classic title this past weekend with a 65-54 win over the host Bears for SJU's 14th in-season tournament title.
• Senior guard Amy Wold earned MVP honors at the Brown Basketball Classic after averaging 15.5 points and 4.5 assists per game, including a 20-point performance in the title game.

ACK ATTACK
Having played in just seven collegiate games, Saint Joseph's freshman Sarah Acker has already made an impact for the Hawks. Currently sixth in the Atlantic 10 in rebounding at 9.8 per game and fifth in blocks (12), the 6-foot-3 center enters Wednesday's game second on the team in scoring at 9.9 ppg and first in field goal percentage (45.6 percent).

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. Ranking sixth in the Atlantic 10, and first on SJU, the Philadelphia native has dished out 27 assists over the first seven games, well above her career average (1.67 apg). Also, McDade has become a bigger scoring threat this season, averaging 4.3 points per game after entering the year at 1.3 ppg.

SAINT JOSEPH'S IRON WOMAN
Since the first game of the 2004-05 season, guard Timisha Gomez has been an "Iron Woman" for Saint Joseph's, playing in all 101 games over her career. The senior, Gomez has averaged 22.6 minutes per contest, while averaging 6.4 points. This season, Gomez excelled as a leader, averaging 11.7 points and 4.7 boards per game. Of the eight returning letterwinners, she is the only Hawk to play in every game of her career.

CAPTAINS ON THE DECK
Saint Joseph's Head Coach Cindy Griffin announced that seniors Timisha Gomez, Krista Hutchison and junior Mary Kate McDade will serve as the team's captains for the 2007-08 season. All three Hawks are first-time captains as they replace `07 graduates Ayahna Cornish and Whitney Ffrench.

WOLD AND GOMEZ LEADS SJU TO BROWN CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIP
The Hawks captured their 14th in-season title in program history as SJU topped Manhattan (65-58) and Brown (65-54) to claim the Brown Basketball Classic title. Saint Joseph's senior Amy Wold earned MVP honors after posting a career-high 20 points and seven assists in the title game. Classmate Timisha Gomez was named to the All-Tournament Team as she led SJU with a game-high 17 points in the opener versus the Jaspers.

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. Just five games into their collegiate careers, these newcomers have made major impacts on Hawk Hill as the group has averaged 16.7 points, 13.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.

A HOT START
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. Having earned limited playing time in just seven games a year ago, Logue has excelled as a starter this year. Scoring only two points and adding six rebounds as a rookie, Logue eclipsed nearly all her career-highs in the opener at Lehigh, scoring 16 points and adding six rebounds. Over the first four games, Logue ranks third on Saint Joseph's in scoring (7.4 ppg), second in rebounding (5.7 rpg) and is tied for third in steals (5).

FREE FOR ME
While Saint Joseph's as a team ranks sixth in Atlantic 10 in free throw percentage (.711), two Hawks are tied for the individual lead and another ranks amongst the top-10. Seniors Amy Wold and Timisha Gomez have paced the A-10 so far this season as both have gone 15-of-17 from the line for a 88.2 shooting percentage. Joining the duo among the A-10 leaders is sophomore forward Ashley Logue. The Philadelphia native, who leads SJU in free throws made with 20, is shooting 80 percent from the charity stripe (20-of-25).