Villanova Wildcats (5-2, 0-0 Big 5) at La Salle Explorers (2-6, 1-0 Big 5)
Sunday 12/4 | 2 p.m.
Tom Gola Arena | Philadelphia, Pa.
Live Stats | Live Video | Twitter @GoExplorers_com | Game Notes
PHILADELPHIA - Another Big 5 battle is on the docket for Sunday as the La Salle women's basketball team hosts Villanova to try and go 2-0 in the city series this year. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. and will be streamed live on GoExplorers.TV.
Scouting La Salle...
The Explorers return home to Tom Gola Arena after three straight road games, including a Thanksgiving trip to New York City and a midweek stay at West Virginia.
The squad spotted Florida an early lead, but tied the game at 51-all midway through the second half before the Gators took the contest 85-74 in the opening game of the Courtyard LaGuardia Turkey Classic at Long Island University. Host LIU led from wire-to-wire in a 69-53 decision. The Explorers rallied against West Virginia, pulling within five of their BIG EAST opponent, before the Mountaineers pulled out the game down the stretch to take the 63-52 win.
Alexis Scott led the Explorers this past week, averaging 17.0 points per game in the last three games. She scored 16 against Florida and followed up with a 14-point performance against host Long Island, and was named to the All-Tournament Team. She then poured in a game-high 21 points at West Virginia on Wednesday. She upped her scoring average to 13.4 on the season to lead the squad.
Ruvanna Campbell continues to lead the Explorer defense, pulling down a team-best 7.1 rebounds per game and is up to 20 blocks on the season. As of the last reporting date, she ranked 19th in the nation in blocked shots per game with 2.9.
The team heads back on the road this week for one more game before a break for finals week. The Explorers tip off at Loyola (Illinois) on Thursday (12/8) at 8:00 PM Eastern.
Scouting Villanova...
Villanova comes to Tom Gola Arena sporting a 5-2 record and is coming off of back-to-back wins over University of the Sciences and Lehigh. The Wildcats downed USP 77-44 before winning a 62-54 overtime thriller against Lehigh on Wednesday.
Prior to that, the Wildcats had dropped two straight to Princeton and Delaware after opening the season with three straight wins.
Two Wildcats average double figures, led by Laura Sweeney's 14.9 points per game. Rachel Roberts adds in 10.9. Lauren Burford chips in 9.2 to round out the top scoring trio. Sweeney is also the team's leading rebounder, pulling down 9.0 per contest.
La Salle is the first Big 5 game of the season for the Wildcats, who went 2-2 in the city series last season. The Explorers are currently 1-0 in the Big 5 this year.
Next up for the Wildcats is the start of BIG EAST play as they head to Providence on Wednesday (12/7) at 7:00 PM.
