La Salle Explorers @ Charlotte 49ers
Wednesday, Jan. 18 | 12:00 PM
Halton Arena | Charlotte, N.C.

Live Stats | Live Video | Twitter (@GoExplorers_com) | Game Notes

PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle women's basketball team, winner of six straight games dating back to Dec. 29, looks to stay perfect in the Atlantic 10 when the Explorers visit Charlotte on Wednesday at noon.

The game will be a battle of two of the remaining three unbeatens in A-10 play, as the Explorers and 49ers (along with St. Bonaventure) are all 3-0. Although they did not play each other, the squads got a look at each other at the Courtyard LaGuardia Turkey Classic at Long Island University over Thanksgiving weekend. Both squads fell to host Long Island as well as Florida at the Thanksgiving tournament.

The contest also features a re-meeting of high school teammates and classmates Jada Payne and Hillary Sigmon, who both starred at Hickory (NC) High School.

The La Salle/Charlotte series is a young one, with the 49ers holding a 4-2 edge in a series that began in 2006 when Charlotte joined the Atlantic 10. The Explorers topped the 49ers last season 85-84 at Tom Gola Arena in probably the biggest win of the season.

Scouting La Salle (9-9, 3-0 Atlantic 10)...

The Explorers topped Xavier 63-51 on Saturday behind 28 points from Atlantic 10 and Big 5 Player of the Week Brittany Wilson. The squad went ahead on a Wilson trey at the 9:41 point of the first half and never trailed after that, although the Musketeers did tie the game on one occasion in the second half. The Explorers responded with a 12-2 run to put the game out of reach.

Wilson averaged 29.5 points per game last week to earn both Atlantic 10 and Big 5 honors. She drained a La Salle career-best 31 points in a 68-62 win over Fordham last Wednesday and dished out a career-high seven assists. She has upped her season scoring average to 14.6, which leads the Explorers and ranks her fourth in the conference. She also ranks fourth with 2.0 steals per game.

Nadia Duncan continues to contribute more offensively, adding her fourth straight double-digit performance with 14 points against the Musketeers. She has averaged 12.8 points per game in the six-game win streak, nearly double her 6.5 ppg in the 12 games prior. Duncan also ranks second in the Atlantic 10 in field goal percentage, shooting 53.7 percent (66-for-123).

Defensively, Ruvanna Campbell continues to lead the squad and rank second in the conference in rebounding with 9.0 boards per game. She added two more blocks against Xavier on Saturday, moving into a sixth-place tie with Suzi McCaffrey (1984-85) on the all-time single season blocks list. She needs three more to crack the top five.

Scouting Charlotte (11-6, 3-0 Atlantic 10)...

Charlotte is coming off of a tough 61-60 win at George Washington led by Jennifer Hailey's seventh double-double of the season (14 points, 14 rebounds).

The squad is the top rebounding team in the Atlantic 10, pulling down 44.9 boards per game and limiting opponents to 35.6 boards for a league-best +9.3 rebounding margin. Hailey is the only player ahead of La Salle's Campbell in the individual ranks, grabbing an A-10 best 9.4 rebounds per contest. Amanda Dowe, who recorded her seventh double-figure rebounding game with 13 against GW, ranks fourth in the conference with 8.8 per game.

Hailey also leads the squad in scoring with 13.6 ppg, good for eighth in the conference. Epiphanny Woodson, a preseason First Team Atlantic 10 pick and transfer from Miami, is second with 12.8 points per contest. Gabby Tyler chips in 8.5 points and 6.1 boards.

Next Up...

The Explorers remain on the road for a contest at Richmond on Saturday (1/21) at 1 p.m.