Hawks Grind Out a 69 – 60 Win Over the Explorers at the Hagan Arena
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 1/10/2026 –
This was not an official Big Five game, but it was an Atlantic 10 tough game. The Hawks used their toughness to grind out a 69 – 60 win on Hawk Hill. Saint Joseph’s lead for almost the entire game, but La Salle stayed in proximity at the end. It took a layup by Hawks forward Faith Stinson with an assist by Rhian Stokes with 53 seconds left to put the game firmly in the Hawks favor. Both teams played hard. Lots of bodies hit the floor, lots of players went jumping for loose balls.
“I think both teams are tough,” said Saint Joseph’s Coach Cindy Griffin. “Everybody was laying it on the line out there. We were on the floor, we were diving and it was just a matter of who was going o get more opportunities. The toughness, that’s who we are. If we get punched, we’re going to punch back. We would like to be the aggressor, not the reacting team. Today, we did a great job of staying steady in that area.”
Saint Joseph’s and La Salle have identical 3 – 2 records in the conference. The victory keeps in Hawks in touch with the upper echelon of the league leaders.
“I will say it means a lot to the team, especially coming off a tough loss against Davidson,” said Hawks guard Kaylinn Bethea. “We never doubt a team. Coming in we knew La Salle was going to give us a hard punch because they were coming in off a loss. We’re a team, we practice hard and it allowed us to respond harder.”
What the Numbers Say
La Salle guard Aryss Macktoon led all scorers with 19 points. Her 3 steals extended Macktoon’s total to an A10-best 59. Joan Quinn added 15 while Ashleigh Conner and Kiara Williams contributed 10 points each.
“We liked the advantages and both of them (Macktoon and Quinn) took advantage of their matchups and made some plays for us,” said La Salle Coach Mountain MacGillivray. “That is expected. That’s what they are supposed to do. They are our go to players along with Ashleigh (Connor) and Kiara (Williams).”
La Salle had more shots (57 – 54). St. Joe’s made a higher percentage (37 – 35), and went to the line 29 times making 23. La Salle connected on 18 of 25 free throws.
Saint Joseph’s guard Gabby Casey scored a team-high 15 points trailed by Emily Knouse scored 14 points and had a season-best 3 steals. Stinson contributed 11 points while Bethea registered a season-high 9 points.
The Hawks won the rebound battle 42 – 35. Casey pulled down 7 boards for SJU.
Saint Joseph’s was disruptive underneath as the contained the La Salle offense in the paint in the first half. The Explorers went 2 for 13 in the paint. LSU was much better in close during the second half.
Saint Joseph’s Critical Run
In the second quarter St. Joe’s broke a tie at 26 with a 15 – 0 run where 5 different players contributed. Aleah Snead and Stokes were on the bench during the stretch. The bench players were needed and repsonded.
“The coach always emphasized, always be ready,” Bethea said. Always bring energy. One thing we want to do pick our team’s back up. We just share that we responded, bring everyone’s energy up.”
La Salle Response
“That was one we wanted to get,” said MacGillivray. “Crosstown rival St. Joe’s, a really good team that got out to a big lead. I like the way we responded, but couldn’t hold on.”
“It shows what we are capable of and who we can be.”
The Explorers came back in the third quarter winning the 10 minutes by a 24 – 8 margin. La Salle got a 50 – 49 lead on a three-pointer by Quinn two seconds before the buzzer.
Hawks Response
Saint Joseph’s answered back right away in the fourth quarter when Knouse drained a shot from distance to give her team the lead back which they held until the end. Knouse made 4 of 8 from beyond the arc.
“It was huge,” said Knouse. “It was starting to take some of our momentum we took into halftime. It was really important that we started to get some of that heat, the sense of momentum back to us.”
Up Next
La Salle (10 – 6, 3 – 2) hosts Saint Louis on Wednesday morning. That same day Saint Joseph’s (12 – 4, 2 – 2) travels to St. Bonaventure.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@phillycollegesports.com
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