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Women's Basketball Tips Off Season At Temple On Friday Afternoon

WBB 2014-15 team photo

Women's Basketball | November 13, 2014

PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle women's basketball team tips off its 2014-15 campaign on Friday when the Explorers pay a visit to Temple in the front end of a doubleheader at the Liacouras Center. Tipoff is set for 4:30 pm.

La Salle Explorers (0-0, 0-0 Big 5) at Temple Owls (0-0, 0-0 Big 5)
Friday, November 14 | 4:30 PM | Liacouras Center

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Game Notes
La Salle | Temple

All-Time Series
The Owls lead the all-time series 23-21, dating back to 1973. The Explorers, however, were victorious in their last trip down Broad Street as the squad knocked off the Owls 71-55 in McGonigle Hall on Jan. 27, 2013, in their final game as Atlantic 10 opponents. Temple took last year's matchup, 60-47, in the season opener for both squads at Tom Gola Arena.

Scouting the Explorers
Head Coach Jeff Williams welcomes back an experienced group for 2014-15, including four of five starters from a squad that posted the most Atlantic 10 wins (9) since 1996-97. Last year's squad went 15-15 overall and 9-7 in the Atlantic 10, which earned the Explorers the No. 7 seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. 

On the offensive side, two of last year's top three scorers return to the court. Leading scorer Alicia Cropper drained 14.7 ppg last season while pulling down 5.3 rebounds and dishing out 2.6 assists. Cropper was an Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team pick in 2013-14, and this year was named to the Preseason Second Team at the annual Atlantic 10 WBB Media Day in October. Micahya Owens, a 2013-14 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie pick, returns for her sophomore season after a stellar freshman campaign that saw her score 13.7 ppg. She added 4.6 rebounds per game. Owens was also the team's most reliable free throw shooter, knocking down 80.8 percent of her attempts at the charity stripe.

Khristin Lee returns to the lineup after a season-ending injury against Saint Joseph's last January. She chipped in 8.8 ppg, and Jasmine Alston rounded out last year's top five scorers with 6.4 ppg.

Lee and Alston return as the team's core defensive players. Alston is the team's leading returning rebounder (5.9 rpg), and both Explorers sat at or near the top of the Atlantic 10 rankings for steals per game. As of the day of her injury, Lee led the league with 2.4 steals per game and despite missing the majority of the conference season, finished second on the team in total steals for the season (39). Alston picked up where Lee left off, finishing second in the A-10 in steals in conference play and completed the season with a team-high 51 thefts.

Siobhan Beslow also returns to the starting lineup again this season. Beslow is another force on the boards, and was consistently ranked among the top 10 in the league in offensive rebounds last season while chipping in 4.2 ppg.

All but two reserves are back this season, with Lisa Mintzer, Deja Bullock and Indigo Dickens in the hunt for minutes again

This year's squad has high expectations to improve upon last year's strong showing, with eyes on the top of a loaded Atlantic 10 Conference.

"This season we're looking forward to winning the Atlantic 10 Conference and making the postseason," senior co-captain Alicia Cropper said. "I want to make First Team, be Player of the Year... but we're only going to do that if we win."

"We have four of our five starters returning and we feel that we have the best backcourt in the conference, one of the best in the country," senior co-captain Khristin Lee said. "We also have depth now, which is something we didn't have last year, so everyone will get more rest and play more energized. We're looking forward to having a strong run, we feel that we can beat anybody in the regular season. Our main goal for the season is to win the A-10 Tournament, that's our main focus. "

Besides Cropper, a Second Team pick in 2013-14, sophomore Owens is likely to have a target on her back as well after last year's All-Rookie campaign that saw her average over 13 points per game. 

"I'm working on improving my shot and my defense, of course, and also ball handling," Owens said. "I'm a lot more confident this year, I know what to expect and what's expected of me. I expect our team as a whole to make it to postseason play and expect to make it on to the All-Conference Team this year. I'm working hard now so I think if I keep pushing myself, I can do it."

The newcomers, including transfer Ebony Wells, along with freshmen Amy Griffin, Iyonna Crenshaw, Jordan Williams and Ashanti Freeland, are expected to make an immediate impact on the team. Wells was a member of Florida State's 2012 NCAA Sweet 16 run, and spent last season at Chipola College. Atlanta-native Griffin was the 2014 Georgia Class 'A' Player of the Year; Crenshaw was the Shore Conference Class B North Player of the Year and MVP of the Senior All-Star Game at Neptune High School in New Jersey; and both Freeland and Williams have several accolades as well.

"We have five new members on the team, four freshmen and a transfer, so we're still working on the team chemistry and picking up the defensive intensity like we had last year," Lee added. "[The newcomers] are all athletic and have a potential to make a major impact right away. We don't have anyone who is redshirting or not capable of playing at this level."

Scouting the Owls
Temple opens its season on Friday as well, looking to improve upon last year's 14-16 finish overall. The Owls went 8-10 to finish in fifth place in the inaugural year of the American Athletic Conference, and are picked fourth in the preseason poll this year.

The Owls have a young squad, returning just five letterwinners. Feyonda Fitzgerald looks to lead the team once again after averaging a team-best 12.9 ppg last season along with 3.9 assists. The 2013-14 Second Team All-AAC pick was named to the preseason all-conference team this year.

Tyonna Williams chipped in 9.2 ppg last year and Erica Covile was good for 8.1 ppg and 5.9 rpg in 2013-14.

The Owls picked up four newcomers this season, including freshmen Tanaya Atkinson, Khadijah Berger and Alliya Butts along with junior transfer Mama Traore. Atkinson is considered a likely starter, and Traore, a Mali, Africa, native comes to North Broad from Burlington County College in New Jersey.

Next Up
The Explorers face their second Big 5 opponent on Wednesday, as they head to the Palestra for a 7pm tilt with Penn.
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Players Mentioned

Jasmine Alston

#11 Jasmine Alston

G
5' 9"
Sophomore
Siobhan Beslow

#2 Siobhan Beslow

F
5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
Deja Bullock

#22 Deja Bullock

F
6' 0"
Sophomore
Alicia Cropper

#14 Alicia Cropper

G
5' 7"
Redshirt Senior
Indigo Dickens

#13 Indigo Dickens

F
6' 2"
Senior
Khristin Lee

#3 Khristin Lee

G
5' 9"
Graduate Student
Lisa Mintzer

#55 Lisa Mintzer

F
6' 4"
Sophomore
Micahya Owens

#34 Micahya Owens

F
5' 11"
Sophomore
Jordan Williams

#4 Jordan Williams

G
5' 11"
Freshman
Amy Griffin

#21 Amy Griffin

G/F
6' 1"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Jasmine Alston

#11 Jasmine Alston

5' 9"
Sophomore
G
Siobhan Beslow

#2 Siobhan Beslow

5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
F
Deja Bullock

#22 Deja Bullock

6' 0"
Sophomore
F
Alicia Cropper

#14 Alicia Cropper

5' 7"
Redshirt Senior
G
Indigo Dickens

#13 Indigo Dickens

6' 2"
Senior
F
Khristin Lee

#3 Khristin Lee

5' 9"
Graduate Student
G
Lisa Mintzer

#55 Lisa Mintzer

6' 4"
Sophomore
F
Micahya Owens

#34 Micahya Owens

5' 11"
Sophomore
F
Jordan Williams

#4 Jordan Williams

5' 11"
Freshman
G
Amy Griffin

#21 Amy Griffin

6' 1"
Freshman
G/F