PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle women's basketball team continues its road stretch, but returns to Philadelphia this weekend for Big 5 contests at Penn tonight at 7 p.m. and at Villanova on Sunday at 2 p.m.
La Salle Explorers (1-5) at Penn Quakers (0-3)
The Palestra | Philadelphia, Pa.
Friday, Nov. 30, 2012 | 7 p.m.
Live Stats | Live Video | In-Game Twitter Updates (@ExplorerGameDay) |
Game Notes
La Salle Explorers (1-5) at Villanova Wildcats (5-1)
The Pavilion | Villanova, Pa.
Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012 | 2 p.m.
Live Stats | Live Video | In-Game Twitter Updates (@ExplorerGameDay) |
Game Notes
La Salle vs. Penn
The Explorers are 33-6 all-time over the Quakers, although the Quakers took a 45-40 decision when the teams met at the Palestra two years ago. The Explorers snagged a 58-47 win last year at Tom Gola Arena behind 16 points from
Michea Bryant on 6-for-10 shooting. Kathleen Roche came off the bench to lead Penn with 12 points.
La Salle vs. Villanova
Villanova owns a commanding 33-9 advantage in the series, taking a 67-51 decision last year thanks to a double-double of 24 points and 11 rebounds from Laura Sweeney.
Brittany Wilson also tied for the game-high scoring with 24 points of her own. The Explorers last toppled the Wildcats on Nov. 14, 2008, a 67-62 overtime win at the Pavilion.
Scouting the Explorers
La Salle is coming off of a 69-61 setback at Georgetown in a game that the Explorers never trailed until the 34th minute of play. Wilson lit up for 22 points and a career-best 15 rebounds to lead the Explorers, while
Shanel Harrison added 15 points in her return to her hometown.
Wilson continues to be the only Atlantic 10 player to average at least 20 points, coming in at a 20.8 ppg clip. Wilson is ranked in nine categories in the Atlantic 10, appearing this week on the rebounding and blocked shots lists as well.
With her 18 points at North Carolina followed by her 15-point effort at Georgetown, Harrison has jumped up the team scoring ranks and is now second on the squad with 9.2 ppg. She is also the second-leading rebounder now with 5.3 boards per game.
The Explorers have now led at the half in four straight contests, but have managed just one win out of those four.
Scouting the Quakers
Penn, which has not played since a Nov. 18 58-53 setback to Army, is playing only its second game of the season at the Palestra. The Quakers are looking for their first win, but played strong in a three-point loss to Virginia in their home opener.
Alyssa Baron - a two-time Ivy League scoring champ - leads the squad with 18.0 ppg and a team-best 9.0 rebounds per game. She has been the high rebounder in all three contests so far, and led the team in scoring twice.
Rookie Keiera Ray is also averaging double figures, scoring at a 13.7 ppg clip off the bench while chipping in 3.3 rpg.
Scouting the Wildcats
Villanova is off to a hot start this year, winning the last four straight to a 5-1 record. The Wildcats' lone setback was a 75-60 loss at Minnesota. They hosted Lehigh on Thursday night, capturing a 66-49 win.
All five of the Wildcats' wins have come by wide margins, as the squad has beaten opponents by an average of 23.2 points, including a 39-point romp over Lafayette. Their closest win of the season was an 11-point 53-42 win against Bowling Green in the UNLV Tournament.
Sweeney leads Villanova with 14.7 points per contest and a team-best 5.8 boards per game. The well-rounded Wildcats have five players averaging at least seven points and Rachel Roberts joins Sweeney in double figures with 11.3 ppg.
Next Up
The Explorers return from their five-game road trip on Wednesday (12/5) when they host Albany at 7 p.m.
