Ultimate test for St. Joe's women: UConn

SENIOR ERIN SHIELDS scored 18 points on Sunday to power Saint Joseph's to its first NCAA Tournament win since 2000. While the win was sweet, there was something staring the Hawks in the face as they moved on to the second round - a matchup with the University of Connecticut tonight in Storrs, Conn.

"We got back to the hotel [Sunday] night and we were happy about the win but then you wake up this morning and you move on," Shields said. "We have UConn to look forward to [tonight] so that's what we're doing."

Playing the defending national champions and best team in the country on its home floor is not exactly a great draw for the the ninth-seeded Hawks (23-9). But they are focusing on something other than the odds stacked against them.

"I think it's no secret that UConn is the best team in the country, but it's an opportunity. We're looking at it as an opportunity," head coach Cindy Griffin said. "If you're going to play in this tournament then why not play the best and challenge yourself against the best? I think for Connecticut, they're a national championship-type team but if we stay with our game plan and do the things that we do well and do them often, every opportunity we have to find a hole, we have to take it."

UConn is led by sophomore forward Breanna Stewart, the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player last year who is averaging 19.8 points per game.

Despite the Huskies dominating almost every game they have played this season, St. Joe's believes it has a shot at success. It boils down to not worrying about the opponent, but what the Hawks themselves can do to achieve success.

"UConn is the best, and we want to play the best as athletes and competitors," said the Hawks' Natasha Cloud. "We're a good team, we've had some peaks and we've had some downs this year, but we just need to stick with our game and do what we do best and everything else will fall into place."

Things fell into place on Sunday for St. Joe's. Shields led all scorers, but it was fellow guard Cloud that turned heads, with 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists in their 67-57 victory over Georgia.

"She makes everyone around her better," Griffin said. "Her head is always two steps ahead and for the most part that's a great thing. She likes to make her teammates look good. She thrives on that. She has been an asset on both ends of the floor."

"She is always looking for the next pass and I think that's why she's so hard to defend," Shields said of her teammate. "She's always looking to the next play and the next person that is open, but she can also shoot it."

In order to beat UConn, Cloud and the rest of the Hawks will have to bring their best performances.