The Guru Report: St. Joe Takes A-10 Opener and Rider’s Johnson Sets Mark in Win

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PHILADELPHIA – Saint Joseph’s got off to a fresh start here with the new year and new decade Saturday afternoon, defeating Richmond 67-56 at the Hawks’ Hagan Arena to take their opener in the Atlantic 10 Conference race.

Across town nearby, the other A-10 start did not go as well for La Salle, which dropped a 98-58 wipeout to Dayton at the Explorers’ Tom Gola Arena, though the Flyers are one of the traditional conference frontrunners while La Salle is just a few steps along at the moment in the rebuild under second-year coach Mountain MacGillivray.

Three other teams in the Guru’s local 11-member Division I group also played and this time there was no struggle for Rider, which made it an opening two-game sweep in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference by winning big at Iona 81-37 in New Rochelle, N.Y., as Stella Johnson quickly became the all-time career scorer in the Broncs program.

Temple, which played its American Athletic Conference opener here in town back in November to accommodate now No. 1 Connecticut in the Huskies’ overall schedule challenges, resumed AAC play at Tulsa, where the Owls were forced into overtime but prevailed with a 74-65 win.

Penn State traveled out to Wisconsin in search of its first Big Ten win and got close but that’s all in a 71-65 loss to the Badgers.

And the small college quartet of Holy Family, Jefferson, USciencies, and Lincoln all produced victories with various storylines, especially Holy Family.

Meanwhile, back here after what has been another roller-coaster adventure on the front end of the schedule, Saint Joseph’s (7-6. 1-0 Atlantic 10) gave a relatively fined-tune performance against Richmond (7-8, 0-1), which is now under former Bucknell coach Aaron Roussell.

The Hawks never trailed and with 6 minutes, 26 seconds remaining in regulation had built a 21-point lead at 62-41 to have the outcome secured.

Katie Jekot scored 17 points and dealt six assists while Mary Sheehan scored nine points but extra help was provided as noted in the 31-15 bench points differential with Katie Mayock scoring 11 points, Devyne Newman scoring eight and Kaliah Henderson scoring seven points and grabbing six rebounds.

Lula Roig had seven rebounds to help the Hawks own the boards 34-22.

Richmond, which had gotten off to a surprising nice season start, got 18 points from Jaide Hinds-Clarke while Kate Klimkiewicz scored 12.

“What a great way to start a conference season,” said Saint Joseph’s veteran coach Cindy Griffin. “I thought our kids came out ready to play, as far as the scouting report. We made shots and we got the shots we wanted to get.”

The Hawks were 29-for-51 for 56.9 percent from the field and made six three-pointers, including the three from Jekot.

“We played with a lot of composure today and I was very impressed with our assists, we had 23 assists on 29 shots, which was very, very impressive.

“Our non-conference always prepares us for the conference, we have a very tough schedule and just alone in the Philadelphia area we have some great teams, but again, we’re continuing to grow as a team, we’re still young in a lot of ways,  but I thought our upper classmen really led the way today.

“I thought Jekot had a great, great game, and Lula and Mary and Katie coming off the bench, that was really impressive.”

Two seasons ago, Saint Joseph’s surprised by reaching the title game of the A-10, and a look at non-conference play from the league it’s possible more teams could be in contention by the end of the season for the title and NCAA automatic bid. 

‘“You think that, just based on number, but until I see everybody up front and close, but I think it might be wide open and on any given night some teams are going to be better than others but I was impressed just to get this game going and get this win under our belt,” Griffin said.

“Aaron does a very good job, he’s a very good coach and had a lot of success at Bucknell, you inherit kids you didn’t recruit, which is always challenging, I think, but they were 7-7, they were very close in several games and had some very good wins for them, so they’ll continue to improve and we’ll continue to improve, so enjoy and on to the next one.”

Saint Joseph’s now hits the road for its next two games, visiting VCU at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Richmond, and then Massachusetts, Saturday at noon in Amherst before returning here the following Wednesday at 5 p.m. against Rhode Island on the front end of a doubleheader with the men’s team. 

All three women’s games will be televised on ESPN+

La Salle Destroyed by Dayton

Unlike Saint Joseph’s, it was not so fine at La Salle, where the Explorers fell to Dayton 98-58, as the Flyers (8-7, 1-0) jumped to a 31-11 lead and were never seriously threatened.

The visitors also exploded in the fourth period with another 31-point onslaught.

Dayton shot 56.9 percent from the field for the game, though the Explorers (6-8. 0-1) kept pace from long range completing nine three-pointers, just two less than the 11 from the Flyers.

Five players from the opposition, however, scored in double figures, led by Kyla Whitehead’s 18 points, while Shakeela Fowler scored 16, Erin Whalen scored 10, and off the bench, Jenna Giacone scored 14, and Christine Szabo scored 11.

La Salle reserve Jordon Lewis scored 13 points, and Kayla Spruill scored 11.

After opening the season at 6-1 to match last year’s win total, the Explorers have now lost seven straight games, though they were in contention down the stretch in Big 5 setbacks at home to Temple and Villanova before meeting Dayton.

“Yeah, tough one, obviously, that one didn’t go as planned,” MacGillivray said afterwards. “Credit to Dayton, they shot the ball extremely well. Internally, we felt it wasn’t a very good job from us, defensively, and it hurts a little bit. You see a team shooting 86 percent in the fourth quarter and 70 percent in the first quarter, you don’t have a chance to be successful on that night.

“But they were ready to go, and we weren’t and that’s why you get a 40-point loss. Tough one tonight.”

La Salle will stay home for its next game, a conference meeting Wednesday night at 7 with Saint Louis.

Temple Tops Tulsa in Overtime

The Owls continue to win close, following their narrow triumph in a Big Five game at La Salle Monday to taking their first American Athletic Conference win of the season, prevailing 74-65 in overtime on the road at the Reynolds Center in Oklahoma.

Marissa Mackins had another outstanding performance after earning player of the week accolades from the league for her game against the Explorers. In this one, she scored 25 for Temple (8-6, 1-1) against the Golden Hurricanes (5-9, 0-1) in the game that had eight ties and ten lead changes.

Tulsa was able to rally from a nine-point deficit and force overtime in the final seconds of regulation, but the Owls regained their footing in the extra period.

Mackins was again a long-range bomber with five three-pointers, while Mia Davis celebrated her birthday with a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds.

Lena Niang added 14 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, and freshman Asonah Alexander dealt eight assists.

The Owls built a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter, but Tulsa came back and forced the overtime with a layup with six seconds left.

In the overtime, however, Temple took control early with a 5-0 burst to control things the rest of the way. 

Davis had six points in the frame and while Tulsa was within four points, twice, Niang’s three-ball and a pair of Mackins foul shots were enough to emerge with the victory.

The Owls will stay on the road Wednesday visiting Houston at 8 p.m. and then return Saturday to host SMU at 3 p.m. in McGonigle Hall

Johnson Sets Career Mark in Rider Romp at Iona

Unfinished business from Thursday’s rally to a narrow win over Niagara at home against Niagara in the MAAC opener was taken care of quickly on the road when senior Stella Johnson on her first possession snapped the tie that existed and became Rider’s all-time career scorer with a postgame total of 1,730 points collected in the Broncs’ easy 81-37 win over Iona in the Hynes Center in New Rochelle, N.Y.

The host Gaels (2-9, 1-1 MAAC) were coming into the conference game off an upset of Quinnipiac, ending a long ruling run by the Bobcats over the MAAC.

Johnson, who had tied the record near the end of the Niagara game with a foul shot, missed a chance Thursday to go ahead when her second foul shot missed the target.

In this one, the nation’s scoring leader was a bit below her 28.4 average scoring 24 points for Rider (9-2, 2-0), which has won six straight games.

Amari Johnson had her fourth straight double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

“Defense was a huge emphasis for us yesterday,” said veteran coach Lynn Milligan. “We felt like we didn’t play very well defensively on Thursday night. We had to make sure we defended properly.

“I think we followed the defensive game plan today for the full 40 minutes, which is a good step.”

As for her star performer, Milligan said, “I’m proud of Stella. She’s obviously had a lot of accolades over the last couple of years and I told her today to enjoy this one because it’s a big one.

“I played with or coached four or five top scorers. I know exactly how good some of the players to come through this program have been. For Stella to eclipse that number this early in the season says something about her.”

It was Rider’s eighth straight win over Iona in their series and was the most one-sided win in the Milligan era.

Johnson also holds Broncs career marks in made field goals (626) and steals (626) and earlier this season set the single game high with 41 points in a win over Lipscomb in the MAAC/ASUN challenge in Disney’s Wide World of Sports near Orlando.

She shot 9-for-12 against the Gaels while Amanda Mobley matched a career-high dishing nine assists for the second straight game.

Lea Favre scored 10 points, shooting 5-for-6 from the field.

Rider’s next game is 11 a.m. on Thursday in Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville, N.J., where the Broncs host Quinnipiac in a MAAC game and are looking for a first-ever win over the Bobcats.

Penn State Edged by Wisconsin

The Lady Lions are still looking for their first Big Ten win of the season and first under new coach Carolyn Kieger, previously at Marquette, after falling 71-65 to Wisconsin (9-5, 1-2 Big Ten) in the Kohl Center in Madison.

Kamaria McDaniel had 23 points in the loss for Penn State (6-8, 0-3). while Makenna Marissa had 10 point and nine rebounds, Alisia Smith had 13 rebounds.

Wisconsin’s Imani Lewis had 23 points and 14 rebounds, while Abby Laszewski had 10 points and nine rebounds.

The Lady Lions return home Thursday in the Bryce Jordan Center to host Michigan State at 7 p.m.

Looking Ahead: Villanova Looks for Weekend Sweep

On the Sunday slate for the locals in the Guru group, Villanova coming from the Wildcats’ Friday win at Seton Hall will look for a sweep of the Metro teams in the New York area in the Big East when they travel to St. John’s in the Red Storm’s Carnesecca Arena in Jamaica, L.I., for the 2 p.m. clash in the Queens borough.

Delaware and Drexel will be seeking to rebound off of each’s opening loss on Friday in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).

Drexel will meet UNCW in Wilmington, N.C. at 1 p.m. against the squad that took down Delaware in overtime while the Blue Hens will be facing the College of Charleston group at 1 p.m. that took down the Dragons.

Rutgers will be coming off its home loss to No.14 Indiana, seeking to return to winning ways when the Scarlet Knights visit Purdue at noon on the Big Ten Network in West Lafayette, Ind.

Small Colleges: Holy Family Dodges Upset by Post

For Holy Family, it was close but still perfect in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, as the Tigers edged Post 64-63 in their Campus Center Gymnasium in Northeast Philadelphia as senior Casey Schweitzer hit a pair of foul shots for the home team with two seconds left in regulation.

The shots completed comeback from an 11-point deficit earlier in the fourth quarter when Post (8-3, 3-1 CACC) was on the way to a first-ever win in the series between the two programs.

It’s the first 5-0 CACC start for the Tigers in six seasons dating back to a 10-0 start in 2013-14 and they are now 26-0 against Post dating back to 2002-03 when the two teams first met.

The win under new coach Bernadette Laukaitis, the former Penn associate head coach to Mike McLaughlin, keeps Holy Family (7-5, 5-0 CACC) unbeaten and in first place with victories already recorded over the recent dominant programs in Jefferson and USciences.

The Tigers coach is an alum who played there under McLaughlin prior to his moving to Penn where he has made the Quakers one of the two current schools to have won all the Ivy titles in the past decade.

 Holy Family had a nine-point lead on the Eagles at the start of the third period but Post stormed with an 11-0 run and kept going to outscore the Tigers 30-15. 

Post went on to make it 56-45 with 8:10 left in regulation before Holy Family took its turn to storm back.

It looked like the home team was about to suffer its first CACC loss when Post went to the line with 14 seconds left but the Eagles missed both, and Schweitzer got the rebound.

Mia Ehling had a shot blocked but Schweitzer got the rebound to end up on the line to fire down the game-winner.

Moe Moore had 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Tigers, while Elizabeth Radley had 13 points to pass career number 900.

The Tigers also won the Philadelphia/Suburban NCAA Certified Summer Women’s Basketball League in early August.

Ehling had 11 points, six rebounds, and five assists.

Sha’Raya Haines had 21 points for Post besides grabbing eight rebounds, blocking three shots and grabbing three steals.

Holy Family next visits Goldey-Beacom College in a CACC game Wednesday at 6 p.m.

USciences Completes Winning Road Trip

Following Friday’s non-conference win at No. 21 St. Thomas Aquinas at upstate New York, the Devils returned to CACC competition in the area and beat Concordia 79-54.

Iris Ye and Jordan Vitelli combined for 51 points for USciences (11-3, 4-1 CACC) with Ye collecting 26 points and Vitelli 25 at the Meyer Athletic Center in Bronxville, N.Y. 

Birgit Coleman had 11 points for Concordia (2-11, 1-3).

Jefferson Halts Skid

Menwhile, Jefferson exploded from the start and rode an easy 91-50 win over Felician (1-10, 0-4 CACC) in the Gallagher Center in East Falls as the Rams (5-7, 2-2) snapped a three-game losing streak.

Jefferson’s Allie Warren scored 24 points and Sabria Lytes grabbed 10 rebounds for the Rams, who gave coach Tom Shirley his 782^nd victory of which 633 are with Jefferson. Haley Meinel scored 12 points, and Alynna Williams had 17 points.

Briana Lee had 16 points and Haylee Ramirez scored 12 for Felician.

The Rams next visit USciences Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Devils’ Bobby Morgan Arena in Southwest Philadelphia near the Palestra.

Lincoln U. Ends Long Break Getting Easy Win Over Livingstone

The Lions left the last year and decade on track to their finest season in history. 

After a long holiday break, they picked right up with the resumption of play, beating Livingstone College 84-56 at home in Manuel Rivero Gym in Lancaster County.

Ranked fifth in the latest D2SIDA regional poll and collecting votes in both WBCA and D2SIDA national polls, the Lions (12-2) claimed this one in the non-conference column because they had beaten the Blue Bears in a Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association game 68-61 earlier in Saisbury, N.C.

Kwanza Murray had a game-high 29 points for Lincoln, while DeAshia Young had 18 points and dealt nine assists. Murray connected on 5-of-9 three-pointers against Livingstone (4-7). Joy Morton grabbed nine rebounds.

Daisa Harris had 24 points for Livingstone, while Darra Walker scored 15.

Lincoln next travels to Elizabeth City State on Tuesday making the first of three stops on a swing through North Carolina.

And That’s the Report