PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle women's basketball squad looks to bounce back on Wednesday night when the Explorers host a red-hot Fordham team at Tom Gola Arena at 7 p.m. The game is designed at the annual Breast Cancer Awareness game, and the athletic department will be selling ribbons to raise money for the Play-4-Kay program as part of the Kay Yow Foundation.

Fordham Rams (15-6, 5-1 Atlantic 10) @ La Salle Explorers (7-14, 3-3 Atlantic 10)
Tom Gola Arena | Philadelphia, Pa.
Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013 | 7:00 p.m.

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The Match-Up

The Explorers own a 34-8 advantage over the Rams, winning the last three straight including a season sweep last year. Brittany Wilson drained 31 points in the first of the two games last year as the Explorers took a 68-62 win on Kids' Day on  Jan. 11, 2012. Michea Bryant hit a free throw with 2.7 seconds left to lift the Explorers to a 56-55 win at Rose Hill Gym on Feb. 1.

Scouting the Explorers

The Explorers look to bounce back after a 74-57 loss to George Washington on Sunday. Ebonee Jones scored 21 points to lead all scorers and the Explorers played a close game until the Colonials pulled away with a 22-4 run late in the second half. Shanel Harrison added 12 points and Jordan Mosley chipped in 10.

Wilson did not play on Sunday against GW due to injury and is listed as day-to-day. The senior guard leads the Atlantic 10 Conference in scoring with 18.3 ppg and is ranked in the league in seven other categories. She also leads the team in rebounding (17th in the A-10) with 6.5 boards per game.

Harrison has made her way into the A-10 rankings in a number of categories as well. She is second on the team and 20th overall in the A-10 in scoring with 11.0 ppg, and is second (tied 18th in the A-10) with 6.4 rebounds per game. She also worked her way into the top 15 in the league in field goal percentage, hitting 36.1 percent of her shots (95-263). Harrison has hit double figures in the last four straight games, including a career-high 29 in the Explorers' win at Temple on Jan. 27.

Jones rounds out the top three scorers for the Explorers, hitting 10.7 ppg and chipping in 5.1 rpg. Jones scored 21 points in two of the last three games, including the win at Temple and against George Washington. She has averaged 18.0 ppg in the last three.

Karynda DuPree adds a defensive aspect, ranking fifth in the Atlantic 10 in blocked shots with 1.7 rejections per game.

As a team, the Explorers are tied for third in the league in blocks with 5.0 per game. The squad also ranks third in offensive rebounding, fifth in steals per game and eighth in free throw percentage. With the 27-11 and 25-13 turnover advantages against Temple and UMass, respectively, the Explorers have moved into positive territory in turnover margin on the season (+1.0).

Scouting the Rams

Fordham is one of the hottest teams in the Atlantic 10 this season, putting together its best start in their history in the A-10. The Rams are 5-1 in the league, their only loss a 68-50 setback to Duquesne. The Rams are coming off of a 71-41 rout of VCU on Saturday, which secured their first winning season since 1994-95. Four Rams hit double figures, led by Marah Strickland and Erin Rooney's 18 points apiece. Arielle Collins added 17 and reigning Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week Samantha Clark added 10 along with a team-best seven rebounds.

Rooney leads the squad in scoring with 13.7 ppg, ranking her ninth in the Atlantic 10. She adds 4.7 rebounds per game and leads the team with 69 assists on the season.

Strickland, a graduate student transfer from South Carolina, also ranks in the top 10 in the league with 13.6 ppg and chips in 3.7 rebounds.

Strickland and Rooney are ranked first and second, respectively, in the Atlantic 10 in free throw percentage. Strickland hits 86.8 percent (59-68) of her freebies and Rooney is an 85.2 percent (69-81) shooter at the charity stripe.

Clark adds 9.1 ppg and is second with 6.3 rpg, and Abigail Corning chips in 8.2 points and a team-best 6.4 rebounds per game.

Fordham ranks first in the Atlantic 10 as a team in free throw percentage, draining 74.9 percent as a whole. The Rams are also second in scoring defense, limiting opponents to just 51.8 points per game, and rank fifth in scoring margin by outscoring opponents by an average of 5.7 points.

Next Up

The Explorers head on the road this weekend, looking to make it three straight over Xavier after toppling the Musketeers twice last season. Tipoff at the Cintas Center is set for Sunday (2/10) at 2 p.m.