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Women's Basketball Heads South To Take On VCU

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Women's Basketball | January 30, 2015

PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle women's basketball team returns from a bye week and heads back on the road for two straight games starting at VCU on Saturday at 7 pm.

La Salle Explorers (10-10, 1-6 Atlantic 10) at VCU Rams (14-7, 5-3 Atlantic 10)
Saturday, Jan. 31 | 7:00 PM | Siegel Center
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Game Notes
La Salle | VCU

Video Stream
Saturday's contest at VCU will be streamed on the A-10 Digital Network.

All-Time Series vs. Rams
Saturday marks just the third-ever meeting of the Explorers and Rams, and second time at the Siegel Center, since the Rams joined the Atlantic 10 in 2012-13. The squads have split the first two meetings with the Rams earning a 69-50 win two years ago in Richmond, and the Explorers taking a 63-58 win last season in Philly.

Scouting the Explorers
The Explorers are still in search of their second Atlantic 10 win of the season and look to snap a six-game losing streak. They fought hard by limiting No. 24 George Washington to just 27.5 percent shooting last Saturday, but also struggled from the field in the 67-48 loss to the Colonials. Micahya Owens led the team with 12 points and a career-high five steals and Alicia Cropper added 11 points on 3-for-6 shooting from long range.

Micahya Owens continues to lead the Explorers with 14.1 points per game while adding 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists. Alicia Cropper is the other Explorer in double figures, averaging 12.8 ppg and chipping in 4.9 rpg and 2.5 apg.

Siobhan Beslow rounds out the top three scorers with 7.8 ppg, and continues to lead the Explorers in rebounding with 6.0 boards per game. Jasmine Alston also remains atop the Atlantic 10 rankings with 2.5 steals per game while chipping in 6.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg and a team-high 3.2 apg.

The Explorers, who were 10-4 at one point, are looking to get their shooting groove back. Prior to the six-game skid, they ranked in the top three of the Atlantic 10 by shooting 35.7 percent from long range; they have gone just 22.8 percent since. The squad has been stellar at limiting turnovers, ranking first in turnover margin against league opponents (+4.71). They commit just 14.6 miscues per game while forcing A-10 opponents into 19.3.

Scouting the Rams
VCU enters the weekend with a 5-3 Atlantic 10 record after defeating George Mason 70-66 on Wednesday. They also own wins over Rhode Island, Saint Louis, Davidson and St. Bonaventure, while their league losses are to Saint Joseph's, Fordham and Dayton.

The squad, under first-year head coach Beth O'Boyle, is still in search of a reliable offensive replacement to graduated sharpshooter Robyn Parks. A pair of Rams are averaging double figures, led by Isis Thorpe's 11.6 ppg. Adaeze Alaeze adds 10.5 ppg while adding a team-second-best 6.0 boards per game. Ashley Pegram is just shy of the double-digit mark with 9.9 ppg.

The Rams struggle percentage-wise from the floor, going 36.0 percent, but have attempted nearly 100 more shots than their opponents. They are hitting 31.1 percent from long range while limiting foes to 27.0 percent. They struggle mightily at the free throw line by hitting just 60.2 percent of their freebies overall, and rank dead last in the A-10 by shooting just 51.3 percent at the charity stripe in league play.

The Rams are averaging 62.8 ppg while yielding 59.5 to opponents. Defensively, they rank near the top of the league standings with 8.9 steals per game and 44.1 rebounds per game.

Next Up
The Explorers wrap up Big 5 play next Wednesday (2/4) with a 7pm tilt at Saint Joseph's.
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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
Alicia Cropper

#14 Alicia Cropper

G
5' 7"
Redshirt Senior
Micahya Owens

#34 Micahya Owens

F
5' 11"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Jasmine Alston

#11 Jasmine Alston

5' 9"
Sophomore
G
Siobhan Beslow

#2 Siobhan Beslow

5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
F
Alicia Cropper

#14 Alicia Cropper

5' 7"
Redshirt Senior
G
Micahya Owens

#34 Micahya Owens

5' 11"
Sophomore
F