Jan. 10, 2009
La Salle Explorers vs. Saint Bonaventure Bonnies
Time: 1:30 PM
Location: Reilly Center
Game: Conference
La Salle Explorers (9-6, 0-0)
Conference: Atlantic 10
The La Salle Explorers, winners in five of their previous six games, enter this matchup after defeating Big 5 rival Penn at the Palestra on Monday night, 61-58. The matchup, which marked the final non-conference game of the season for the Explorers, ended with sophomore Ashley Gale hitting the game-winning three-pointer with three seconds left. With the victory on Monday night, La Salle is now 2-0 in Big 5 competition this year and could make a serious run at the Big 5 title by season's end. Gale, who hit two of her four three-pointers in the first six minutes of the game, finished with a team-high 20 points and a game-high tying seven rebounds. She is ranked second on the team in scoring (11.6), field goal percentage (.414) and rebounds (3.8) and is third on the team in three-point percentage (.361). Senior Margaret Elderton was the only other Explorer to reach double figures, ending with 19 points, on 5-of-9 shooting. Elderton connected on a game-high eight free throws and also pulled down four boards and dished out three assists. Junior Jamie Walsh led the team with four assists and went 3-for-7 from the floor for eight points.
Saint Bonaventure (11-4, 0-0)
Conference: Atlantic 10
Similar to the Explorers, the Saint Bonaventure Bonnies closed out non-conference play earlier this week with a road victory over Yale on Sunday, 68-35. The Bonnies began the season with five consecutive wins and now, heading into Saturday, have won three straight. Saint Bonaventure's most notable win this season came on Sunday, Dec. 7th when they defeated No. 21/24 Michigan State at home, 63-52. In that victory, senior Katelyn Murray led all scorers in the contest with 25 points, on 9-of-14 shooting. In their most recent win over Yale, junior Dana Mitchell tied a game-high with 12 points and also pulled down three rebounds. Sophomore Cara Gustafson followed up with 10 points, on 4-of-4 shooting. The Bonnies opened up the game on a 20-5 run and went on to outscore Yale 36-16 in the first half and 32-19 in the second half. The Bonnies only allowed Yale to make four shots on 18 attempts in the first half equaling to 18.2 percent shooting. Yale improved their offense slightly, but Saint Bonaventure's defense kept them at 28 percent shooting in the second half and 23.4 percent for the game. The brown and white play three of their first four conference games at home.
Eye on an Explorer: Margaret Elderton
The only senior on the team, Margaret Elderton has either led or tied the team-high in points four times this season. In back-to-back games, Elderton scored 19 points in a home victory over Rider and then followed up that performance with 18 points in a victory over Valparaiso. She is ranked second on the team in assists (3.1), third in scoring (11.8) and field goal percentage (.403) and fourth in three-point percentage (.353).
Key Matchup: Morgan Robertson vs. Dana Mitchell
Junior forwards Morgan Robertson and Dana Mitchell are two players who are key components in their respective offenses. In the Penn victory on Monday, Robertson tied a game-high with seven rebounds and finished with six points, on 3-of-7 shooting. She is first on the team in scoring (13.5), rebounds (8.7) and field goal percentage (.440). Mitchell has led the Bonnies in scoring in eight of their 15 games this season. She recorded four straight 20-point performances earlier in the season and is ranked first on the team with 15.0 points per game. Mitchell is shooting 54.9 percent from the field this season.
