While the Massachusetts women’s basketball team tries to win consecutive conference games to bring its Atlantic 10 record to .500, Saint Joseph’s will try to reach that same conference mark by snapping its three-game losing streak Sunday afternoon at the Mullins Center.

The Hawks (10-10, 2-3 A-10) began conference play with victories over St. Bonaventure and Fordham but have dropped their last three to Xavier, Dayton and most recently, a three-point loss to Temple.

“They’re hot and cold, they’re much like us,” UMass coach Marnie Dacko said. “They’ve got inside presence and outside presence; they play very hard. They’re a very good basketball team; they’re very well coached.”

When UMass (10-10, 2-3 A-10) traveled to Philadelphia last year for its matchup with the Hawks, it was beat from the perimeter. Sophomore Jen Oyler, who is no longer on St. Joe’s roster, converted 5-of-11 attempts from beyond the arc and finished the game with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Hawks penetrated into the lane and kicked the ball outside. They went 10-of-24 from deep as a team, and their shooting enabled them to win the game, 72-67.

They also played a 2-3 zone defense against the Minutewomen in the second half, after playing man-to-man defense in the first. St. Joe’s has played man defense for the majority of this season, but Dacko wants her team to be prepared to face either defense.

Dacko also says the Hawks move the ball well, and similar to a Phil Jackson coached team, they run the triangle offense.

St. Joe’s 36.5 percent shooting from outside the 3-point line leads the A-10 this season, and defending the arc has not been one of the Minutewomen’s strengths – UMass has allowed opponents to shoot 38 percent from 3-point territory this season, which ranks last in the conference.

Timisha Gomez, the Hawks second-leading scorer, is deadly from beyond the arc. The senior guard is second on the team with 11.2 points per game, and is an efficient 21-of-48 on her 3-pointers, good for nearly 44 percent.

In addition to Gomez, St. Joe’s has three other effective perimeter shooters. Jenna Loschiavo has hit a team-high 39 threes and has also attempted over five per game (108 total). Amy Gillespie has hit 29 and Amy Wold has converted 26.

The latter is shooting 30.5 percent this year, which doesn’t rank up with her other teammates, but Dacko mentioned her in particular, mainly because she was 5-of-6 from deep in the Temple loss.

The Minutewomen’s best counter from beyond the arc is junior Stefanie Gerardot. She began the season coming off the bench but is now starting. She has converted on 22 shots from the outside this year, and while seniors Kate Mills and Pam Rosanio shoot a higher percentage from outside, neither of them shoots the three as often as Gerardot.

Starting sophomore point guard Kim Benton gives the backcourt another 3-point shooter but she’s yet to find her rhythm this year, shooting 25.9 percent from behind the 3-point line.

The Hawks also have the ability to get the ball inside. Center Sarah Acker has only been with St. Joe’s for this year, but the freshman has immediately given them an inside presence. She leads the team in per-game averages in points (11.9), rebounds (7.5) and blocks (1.5).

“She has a really strong, dominant left hand, so we really got to force her right and make her be uncomfortable,” Dacko said. “Kate, [senior] Whitney McDonald and [freshman] Teya Wright should be more mobile than she is, more athletic than she is, but she’s very strong inside.”

As always, Mills will be the focal point of the UMass offense. The senior forward leads the team in points (17.4) and rebounds (7.1). Dacko hopes the Minutewomen pound the ball into the low post to Mills, as well as limit the Hawks to one chance on offense.

St. Joe’s outrebounded Temple by 10, and UMass often allows opponents to hurt them on the offensive glass. Dacko wasn’t pleased with her team’s performance in Wednesday’s victory over Fordham, and this will be a key to victory for her team tonight.

Rosanio and Wright rank second and third in rebounding, respectively, and will be relied upon to help on the boards.

Mike Connors can be reached at [email protected].