The Guru Report: St. Joe Alums See Rally on Fordham Fall Just Short While La Salle Wins Fourth Straight and Drexel Drops Second Straight

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PHILADELPHIA — Maybe it was the fact that besides it being Hawks Women’s Basketball Alumni Day here at Hagan Arena, it was also Saint Joseph’s celebrating the 10th anniversary of its 2013 Atlantic Ten Championship Sunday afternoon that got Fordham all riled up at the outset.

After all, the great memory here of that 47-46 triumph occurring during the inaugural year of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn that had future WNBA star Natasha Cloud in the lineup was also the bitter recall of the closing stop on the Rams at the finish.

Nevertheless if you watched the Villanova opening on Creighton Friday night when the Wildcats made shot after shot with Maddy Siegrist on the way of becoming the program’s all-time scorer, for local fans of the women’s game here in general, the Fordham attack was the reverse.

The Rams couldn’t do anything wrong in an another Atlantic 10 game on the current stretch featuring two of the league’s prime teams and Saint Joseph’s couldn’t do much right, falling behind by as many as 23 points.

However, still down by 19 in the second half, the Hawks finally caught fire and several times moved within three points of flipping the switch but Fordham had answers in the final minutes and left with a 71-65 victory while hanging Saint Joseph’s (14-5, 4-3 A-10) with its third straight narrow loss.

“We just were not ready for their speed, weren’t ready for them to knock down these shots,” said longtime Hawks coach Cindy Griffin, who coached that championship squad and also played here.

“I was very proud of our kids with their resilience and coming back making it a game in the fourth.”

Right before the half ended, Laura Ziegler got one down from deep, the deficit still daunting at 43-25, Fordham (13-7, 5-2) shooting 18-of-29 for 64.3 percent, including six from deep, while the home team was 11-of-31 for 35.5 percent, and just one from beyond the arc.

The poster girl of the comeback was inside force Mackenzie Smith, just 1-for-10 across the first two periods and then 6-of-20 the rest of the way, finishing with 17 points.

“We were settling for jump shots, outside of the paint, and it wasn’t working for us,” Griffin said. “Once we said keep going at it and some paint touches, whether it be driving or post entries to balance out our attack from the offensive standpoint.”

Getting defensive stops and coming to life, the crowd sensed a return to the pre-loss streak world of 14-3, which tied the best start of the Griffin era, occurring her inaugural season, returning home 2001-02.

Talya Brugler’s two foul shots lowered the differential to three the first time 63-60 but Fordham’s Asiah Dingle, the game’s high scorer with 21 points and six rebounds, got two points back with a shot.

Brugler, who had 20 points and nine rebounds, as did Ziegler on the boards, made it 65-62.

Appearing to successfully defend the next possession, it went for naught when Kaitlyn Downey connected from deep with a second left on the shot clock and made it a six point game.

However, Olivia Mullins, who had a career-high 16 points, hit one from deep to get it to a three-point differential again with 11 seconds left.

But now the Hawks were forced to foul and Dingle made 3-of-4 from the line to secure the win.

Though this one was lost by a few more points than the previous two, there were enough plays, especially at the finish, to consider what might have been.

“I think those were key possession or pivotal moments,” Griffin said. “We would have had two more possessions. I think that was really huge.”

Being local, Cloud discussed impressions of Villanova’s Siegrist, who is starting to draw attention from WNBA coaches with an eye to April’s draft.

“She’s a phenomenal player,” Cloud said. “I got a chance to see her last year when I was working out at Villanova’s gym. “All she’s put in, even when she was hurt, it’s all working out now, she’s the leading scorer in the country, now she’s the leading scorer at Villanova. She continues to thrive and it’s good to see a local kid being who she is.”

Siegrist on Monday night will receive the Amateur Athlete of the Year award from the Philadelphia Sportswriters Association at the annual dinner at 6 p.m. at the DoubleTree By Hilton Cherry Hill (Formerly Crown Plaza) on Route 70 across the Delaware River in New Jersey.

Griffin is being cited for reaching 400 wins this season and Jefferson University’s Tom Shirley likewise for now having collected over 800 wins. Tickets can still be bought at the website phillysportswriters.com 

Back here at Saint Joseph’s, the road for the moment gets a little easier, Saint Bonaventure the next opponent and playing here Wednesday night at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

Rhode Island, still unbeaten in league play, will be upcoming home-and-home opponents, but everything else is winnable the rest of the way, though nothing is an out-and-out given.

“The league is really competitive,” Griffin said. “One thing that we need to do is just stay true to what our core values are which is being selfless and relentless.”

La Salle Win Streak Continues: The Explorers are continuing on making good on their preseason forecast of second from the Atlantic 10 coaches, now having won four straight after beating new member Loyola Chicago 67-51 in the Windy City.

A 21-0 run across the two halves was the key for La Salle (13-8, 4-2 A-10), which had four players in double figures against the Ramblers (6-13, 1-5).

Kayla Spruill scored 15, shooting 5-of-11 from the field, including three from beyond the arc; Australian sisters Mia and Claire Jacobs scored 12 and 11, respectively; and point guard Molly Masciantonio scored 10 and dealt six assists.

La Salle is off until Saturday, hosting St. Bonaventure at 2 p.m. on ESPN+, the event also serving as the Explorers’ Pride game.

Drexel Upset by Towson: Keishana Washington continued to get her points as the second leading scorer in the nation to Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist and like the Wildcats’ star, became the second player this week involved with a long-standing school record in the Philly Six.

But Drexel, the preseason favorite in the Colonial Athletic Association, following a week off with the bye, dropped its second straight, losing at Towson 70-61, which is also where the conference tourney will be held in March in suburban Baltimore.

For the host Tigers (11-7, 5-2 CAA), now tied with the visiting Dragons (13-5, 5-2), it was quite an achievement gaining a weekend sweep of the longtime rivalry of Delaware on the road and then at home of Drexel (13-5, 5-2)  in SECU Arena by first-year coach Laura Harper, the former Cheltenham and Maryland star, who succeeded Diane Richardson, who left to fill the vacancy at Temple.

Towson’s Skye Williams had 18 points, while Alexia Nelson and Kylie Kornegay-Lucas each scored 13 points with seven rebounds. Quinzia Fulmore scored 10 and also grabbed seven rebounds.

There were seven ties and nine lead changes in the contest, which was taken control by Towson during the second half.

Drexel’s Washington scored 27, typing her with the legendary Gabriela Marginean, the all-time women’s scorer in local history, getting 10 or more points in 52 straight games.

Siegrist, who previously passed the men’s and Friday, broke the women’s Villanova scoring record, could end up besting that mark by the end of the season, if not sooner.

Chloe Henderson had a career-high 14 points, ten in the second half, while Maura Hendrixson dealt 12 assists.

Drexel will be home this weekend for a pair of games in the Daskalakis Athletic Center, hosting Hofstra, Friday night at 6 p.m. and Elon Sunday at 2 p.m., both games on Flohoops.

Penn State Tops Wisconsin While Rutgers Falls to Michigan State: The Lady Lions shook off an early nine-point deficit and went on to beat Wisconsin 74-69 in the Big Ten at home in the Bryce Jordan Center in State College.

Taniyah Thompson had 27 points for the home team (12-8, 3-6 Big Ten), which is making some strides in moving up the standings this season. 

A 14-2 run in the second period helped get coach Carolyn Kieger’s squad reversed and on to a 35-30 halftime lead.

The game was still close after the break, the third quarter featuring four ties and three lead changes, but PSU gained enough to top the Badgers (6-14, 2-7) at the finish.

Makenna Marisa had 15 points with eight assists and five steals while Leilani Kapinus, gaining the career 500 points milestone, scoring nine, along with getting two blocks and five steals.

Rookie Shay Ciezki dealt a personal best seven assists.

Two big stats for the home team was forcing  25 turnovers while dominating depth with a 31-2 advantage on bench points.

Rutgers, meanwhile, on the road was unable to come back to the winning side, losing at Michigan State 85-63.

Kaylene had another big game for the Scarlet Knights (8-13, 2-7 Big Ten) scoring 27 points, while Kai Carter had 11, the last of which enabled her to reach the 1,000 points milestone.

Michigan State (11-9, 3-6)  got 13 points from three players, Matilda Ekh, Moira Joiner, and reserve Abbey Kimball, while Taiyier Parks, also a reserve, scored 14 in the game played in the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich.

On Thursday, Penn State will go for a series sweep when the squad travels to Rutgers, its longtime rival pre-dating both teams landing in the Big Ten, at Jersey Mikes Arena in Piscataway, N.J.

Nationally noted: Unlike recent days, ranked teams held other than the PAC-12 where one had to lose with two playing each other for the conference lead, but even there, the favorite, No. 4 Stanford at home in Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto, Calif., beat No. 24 Colorado 62-49 as Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer picked up her NCAA all-time women’s best 1,176 victory.

Geno Auriemma, also a Hall of Fame coach, the second best, will go for his 1,166th Monday night when UConn hosts DePaul in a Big East makeup game from one postponed recently when the Huskies’ injury-riddled roster dropped below the conference minimum requirement of seven healthy scholarship players.

In the Stanford game, the Cardinal (19-2, 7-1 PAC-12) set a program record with 14 blocked shots in a single game.

Hannah Jump had 21 points, while Haley Jones had 11 points and a season-best 18 rebounds, and Cameron Brink scored 14 with six of the blocks.

Colorado (15-4, 6-2), parting with a seven-game win streak, trailed by as many as 17, but moved within ten points in the final period.

“We were really good defensively,” Buffs coach JR Payne said. “We just couldn’t score the ball. It’s hard to score against them.

“We never quit. We never wilt. We never stop competing. We definitely showed that. We just needed more shots to fall.”

Jasylyn Sherrod had 16 points for Colorado, while Quay Miller had 14 points and nine rebounds, and Aaronette Vonleh had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Southern Cal, which upset Stanford in Los Angeles a week ago and looking to get ranked, went in overtime before beating host Washington 63-54 in Seattle.

The Trojans (15-4, 5-4 PAC-12) are off to their best start in 29 years.

Destiny Littleton scored 20 against the Huskies (10-8, 2-6).

No. 19 Arizona on the road beat its in-state rival Arizona State 80-67 in Tempe as reserve Madison Conner scored 16 and Esmery Martinez scored 13 and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Wildcats (15-4, 5-3 PAC-12). The Sun Devils (7-10, 0-8) got a career high 24 points from Treasure Hunt.

Meanwhile in the Big 12, No. 25 Texas, which lost during the week right after re-entering the poll, may have saved itself and blocked Baylor, which fell last week after the third longest active poll streak, by beating the Bears 68-55 on the road in the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas.

The Longhorns (14-6, 5-2 Big 12) used a 44-33 second half to get the job done.

DeYona Gaston had 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Shaylee Gonzales, Rori Harmon, and Sonya Morris each scored 13 points and Taylor Jones scored 10.

Texas forced Baylor (13-6, 4-3) into 22 turnovers.

Top-ranked South Carolina, the defending NCAA champions, in the Southeastern Conference, one of three remaining unbeaten teams, beat visiting Arkansas 92-46 as reigning national player of the year Aliyah Boston had 13 points and 14 rebounds, setting a record for the Gamecocks (20-0, 8-0 SEC) with her 73rd double-double. Zia Cook scored 24 as Dawn Staley’s squad won its 26th straight.

Tennessee, trying to get back into the poll, reeled off an 8-0 run in the last minute, erasing a five-point deficit, and winning at Missouri 68-65 as Rickea Jackson scored inside with a second left and shooting a free throw.

The Lady Vols (16-6, 8-0 SEC) won their ninth straight overall and the 8-0 SEC start is their best since starting 13-0 in 2014-15 to finish 15-1 with the regular season conference crown.

Sara Puckett, 7-of-9, including a perfect 3-for-3 from deep used a three-ball to tie the score with 40 seconds left and finished with 17 points, while Jackson scored 15.

Hayley Frank scored 26 for Missouri (14-6, 3-4).

Idle No. 22 Villanova got some help in the Big East as Marquette at home in Milwaukee thumped Seton Hall 80-62 pushing the Pirates three games behind the second place Wildcats. Who lead second-place St. Johns by two.

In the Atlantic Coast Conference, all the ranked teams won, the biggest outcome No. 20 NC State stopped its free fall beating host Louisville 63-51. Elsewhere in the conference, No. 13 Duke, No. 12 Virginia Tech, No. 7 Notre Dame, and No. 17 North Carolina all won easily as did unranked Florida State 74-37 over host Pitt.

No. 21 Illinois won at Northwestern 67-64, the host Wildcats yet to win in the Big Ten at 0-9 this season.

Back in the PAC-12, No. 9 UCLA edged host Washington State 73-66.

Looking Ahead: None of the locals play until Wednesday, but nationally, two of the other unbeaten squads besides already-noted South Carolina, will see action.

In the Big Ten, No. 2 Ohio State (19-0) off to its best start will host No;. 10 Iowa in Columbus at 7 p.m. on ESPN 2.

No. 3 LSU (19-0) in the SEC will visit Alabama (15-4) at 7 p.m. on the SEC network as transfer Angel Reese  goes for her 20th double-double to break the program record of retired WNBA great Sylvia Fowles. The Tigers look to become just the second team from any  university sport to start 20-0, currently tied with the baseball program’s 19-0 set in 1997. The 2015 LSU softball squad went 25-0 from opening day.

Besides the Big East DePaul/UConn matchup mentioned, another key Big Ten game has No. 6 Indiana (17-1) visiting No. 14 Michigan (16-3). 

And that’s the report.