Philadelphia, Pa. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team opened the 30th annual Hawk Classic against host Saint Joseph's on Saturday afternoon. The Hawks rode a quick start to open the game en route to a 100-40 victory over the Dolphins.
Sophomore guard Eli Clark (Oakhurst, N.J. / Ocean Township) led Le Moyne with nine points on 3-7 (42.9%) shooting from the field, with all of which coming from behind the arc. In a team-high 31 minutes on the floor, E. Clark added one rebound, two assists, and one steal.
Junior forward Ashley Buragas (Hopewell Junction, N.Y. / John Jay / Mineral Area College) followed behind with eight points on a 57.1% rate from the floor. Freshman guards Kayden Clark (Oakhurst, N.J. / Manasquan) and Peyton Dincher (Jersey Shore, Pa. / Jersey Shore) each added five points for the 'Phins with the latter bringing in a team-best four rebounds.
Junior guard Jessica Wangolo (Ottawa, O.N. / Capital Courts Academy / Buffalo) led the way with three assists while freshman forward Praise Matthews (Red Lion, Pa. / Dallastown) went 3-4 (75.0%) from the line.
Le Moyne shot 15-47 (31.9%) from the field and 3-6 (50.0%) from the line while tallying 14 points in the paint with 10 bench points in the loss.
Faith Stinson (18), Gabby Casey (14), Kaylie Griffin (11), and Cecilia Kay (10) all finished in the double-digits in points to lead the way for St. Joe's. Casey's 10 rebounds, six assists, and three steals were also both game-highs.
The Hawks worked to a quick 20-0 lead through the first 5:05 of the opening quarter before Matthews reached the line on a shooting foul and converted both of her free-throw attempts for the 'Phins. St. Joe's added 11 more points with the help of three buckets from deep in the coming minutes before Matthews again reached the line and added Le Moyne's final point of the quarter at the :54 mark.
Down 33-3 to open the second frame, the Dolphins recorded the next seven points on a three from Linnin and a pair of jumpers by Buragas in just over two minutes of action. The Hawks then went on a 12-3 run that lasted nearly six minutes before freshman forward Ava Johnson (Richmond, Va. / The Steward School) connected on a jumper with 1:56 left in the half.
Le Moyne came out of the break and quickly added seven points on layups from Buragas and Dincher along with a three from Wangolo. A 13-4 run by the Hawks extended their lead to 42 points with 2:52 left in the third before K. Clark was able to drain a three for the 'Phins.
St. Joe's scored 14 of the opening 22 points in the final quarter of play before E. Clark connected on a three for Le Moyne's last bucket of the game. The hosts tacked on 13 points in the final three minutes to close out the matchup with a 100-40 victory.
What's Next:
Le Moyne will take on Akron, who fell to Delaware in the second game of the Hawk Classic, tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. at Hagan Arena.
