PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle women's basketball squad takes a short trip down Route 1 on Wednesday night when the Explorers visit Atlantic 10 and Big 5 rival Saint Joseph's.

La Salle Explorers (8-17, 4-6 Atlantic 10) @ Saint Joseph's (18-6, 9-1 Atlantic 10)
Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena | Philadelphia, Pa.
Wed., Feb. 20, 2013 | 7:00 p.m.

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The Match-Up

The Explorers and Hawks meet for the 47th time in the long-running series on Wednesday, though the Hawks own a 37-9 advantage in the series. The Explorers mounted a second-half rally in last season's contest before falling 57-53 at Tom Gola Arena. Former Explorers Alexis Scott and Nadia Duncan poured in 20 and 11 points, respectively, and Brittany Wilson contributed a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds. Ashley Prim led the Hawks with 18 points. The Explorers dominated the boards last season, outrebounding St. Joe's 51-34.

Scouting the Explorers

The Explorers look to bounce back after a disappointing 69-50 loss at VCU on Sunday. Shanel Harrison was the lone Explorer in double figures, pouring in a game-high 20 points while recording the double-double with 10 rebounds.

Harrison, the reigning Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week, has averaged 17.4 points per game in the last eight games. She has stepped up her game since the Atlantic 10 portion of the schedule began, ranking in the top 15 in the conference in five categories in league play. She has averaged 15.4 points per game against A-10 opponents, ranking her fourth. She has also pulled down 7.2 rebounds (15th), snagged 2.4 steals (T-5th) and pulled down 3.0 offensive rebounds per game (T-9th), while improving her three-point shooting percentage to 37.0 percent (7th).

Though Ebonee Jones has been limited to eight and five points, respectively, in the past two games, she presents another scoring threat for the Explorers. In the five game stretch prior to the Saint Louis contest, she was averaging 16.0 points per game. She also ranks in the top 20 in the Atlantic 10 in scoring, averaging 11.8 ppg in league games this season (10.5 ppg overall). She also ranks ninth in the A-10 in free throw percentage in league games, going 79.5 percent from the charity stripe.

Siobhan Beslow, who has earned the start in place of the injured Wilson, has provided a defensive spark. In the month of February, she is averaging 6.2 rebounds per game, significantly better than her 3.7 rpg season average. She has also seen 35.0 minutes per game in that stretch, including playing all 40 against Saint Louis.

Karynda DuPree has also stepped up defensively. She is averaging 6.0 rebounds per game in February, better than her 4.0 rpg season average. DuPree also ranks sixth in the Atlantic 10 with 1.6 blocked shots per game on the season, and is 10th with 1.7 bpg in league play.

As a team, the Explorers score 54.8 ppg while yielding 62.1 ppg to opponents. Some bright spots in league play include ranking third in the A-10 in turnover margin with a +1.80 margin, which ranks only behind league frontrunners Dayton and Duquesne. The team pulls down 14.8 offensive rebounds per game, ranking fourth in the A-10. The Explorers are also tied for fifth with 4.5 blocked shots per game and sixth in steals per game (8.3 spg).

Scouting the Hawks

St. Joe's enters Wednesday's contest as one of the A-10's leading squads. The Hawks are 18-6 overall and 9-1 in league play, losing only to Charlotte so far. They have a 69-68 overtime win over Duquesne on their resume and most recently snapped a 13-game losing streak to Temple with a 49-41 overtime win.

Earlier this season, the Hawks upset then-No. 5 Maryland 50-49 at Hagan Arena, earning their highest ranked win since 1977.

Reigning Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week (along with Harrison) and Big 5 Player of the Week Chatilla van Grinsven leads the attack offensively and defensively for the Hawks, averaging a double-double of 14.8 ppg and 10.2 rpg while recording a team-best 37 blocked shots.

Erin Shields adds 11.4 points per game and is one of the elite three-point shooters in the conference, ranking third with 2.3 made per game.

As a team, the Hawks outscore their opponents 64.4 to 55.1 ppg.

Next Up

The Explorers return home on Sunday (2/24) when they host Charlotte at 1 p.m. The annual Senior Day celebration will be conducted prior to Sunday's game, at approximately 12:45 p.m.