Women's Basketball | February 27, 2015

PHILADELPHIA - La Salle closes out the regular season at home on Sunday when the Explorers host Saint Joseph's. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m., but arrive early as the program's four seniors - Siobhan Beslow, Alicia Cropper, Indigo Dickens and Khristin Lee - will be honored in a pregame ceremony at approximately 12:45 p.m. 

Following the game, join the coaching staff, team, and fellow alumnae in the Hall of Athletes for a complimentary post-game reception. Click here to register.

La Salle Explorers (14-14, 5-10 Atlantic 10) vs. Saint Joseph's Hawks (11-16, 7-8 Atlantic 10)
Sunday, March 1 | 1:00 PM | Tom Gola Arena
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Game Notes
La Salle | Saint Joseph's

Video Stream
Sunday's contest vs. St. Joe's will be streamed on GoExplorers.TV.

All-Time Series vs. Hawks
The Hawks dominate the series, 41-9. They took the first game of this year's home-and-home, 70-64, at Hagan Arena. 

Last Time Out vs. Hawks
Alicia Cropper exploded for 25 points, including her 1,000th career point, in the Explorers' 70-64 setback at St. Joe's on Feb. 4. Cropper scored 18 points in the second half, and added a team-high eight rebounds to help the Explorers rally late. Micahya Owens added 13 points and Khristin Lee chipped in nine. SJU had two players with double-doubles, including Sarah Fairbanks (22 pts, 10 reb) and Natasha Cloud (13 pts, 10 ast). 

Scouting the Explorers
The Explorers have won two of their last three, including a bounce-back win at St. Bonaventure on Wednesday after a tough loss at Dayton on Sunday. The squad led for all but roughly 30 seconds in a 66-53 win over the Bonnies, marking the first win at the Reilly Center since 2007. Micahya Owens drained 15 of her game-high 20 points in the second half and Jasmine Alston poured in 14 points along with seven rebounds.

With a win over St. Joe's on Sunday, the Explorers can clinch the 10 seed and a first-round bye in next week's Atlantic 10 Championship. The double-bye format tournament will be held at the Richmond Coliseum once again this year, with the final on Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPNU.

In the last two wins, the Explorers outscored their opponents (Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure) 56.5 to 49.0. They also limited the Rams and Bonnies to just 17.9 percent shooting from long range while going an improved 34.8 percent themselves. Owens has been key offensively, averaging 17.0 ppg in the last two wins.

Owens continues to lead the squad in overall scoring with 13.5 ppg on the season. The sophomore is up to 789 points in her career, on track for her 1,000th point early next season. She adds 3.4 rebounds per game and 1.8 assists, and ranks ninth in the A-10 with 1.7 steals per game against league foes.

Cropper is averaging 12.2 ppg and has scored in double figures in 15 of her 25 games this season, hitting the 20-point mark three times including her season-high 25 points against the Hawks. She is third on the squad in rebounding with 4.8 boards per game and is tied for second on the team with 2.4 assists per outing.

Amy Griffin rounds out the top three scorers, as the reigning A-10 Rookie of the Week is up to 7.9 ppg. Griffin recently tied a career high with 20 points at Dayton, and added 12 points in the win over Rhode Island. She chips in 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists, and ranks among the A-10's leaders with 1.1 blocked shots per game in league play.

Beslow is averaging 7.8 ppg and a team-high 5.5 rebounds. The sharpshooter ranks second in the Atlantic 10 by converting 52.0 percent of her field goal attempts, and she is tied for seventh with 2.8 offensive rebounds per game. 

Alston continues to lead the Atlantic 10 with 2.4 steals per game overall, and third with 2.2 against league foes. She also ranks eighth in the conference with 3.6 assists per game in A-10 play, and the sophomore point guard is second on the team with 5.0 rebounds per game while chipping in 6.3 points.

As a team, the Explorers have been terrific in limiting turnovers. They own a +4.47 turnover margin over league foes, marking the best margin in the A-10.

Scouting the Hawks
The Hawks are coming off of a 60-49 upset over Duquesne on Wednesday behind a career-high 23 points from Ciara Andrews. Fairbanks added 14 points and nine rebounds and Cloud chipped in 12 points and nine assists.

The Hawks have won three straight since an 82-64 setback at Dayton on Feb. 15. They topped George Mason 82-51 and Richmond 61-59 prior to their win over the Dukes. 

A trio of Hawks are averaging double figures, led by Cloud's 12.9 ppg. Cloud also pulls down 5.8 boards per game and ranks sixth with 1.8 steals. The senior leads the league with 7.0 assists per game.

Andrews is up to 12.8 ppg, and chips in 3.4 rpg. Fairbanks rounds out the top three scorers with 10.7 ppg and is tied for the team lead with 6.0 boards per outing. The trio is also dangerous at the free throw line with some of the best percentages in the league. Fairbanks hits 85.1 percent, Andrews 82.2 percent and Cloud 78.1 percent of their attempts at the charity stripe.

Ashley Robinson is the other rebounding leader with 6.0 per game, while chipping in 8.7 ppg. Kathleen Fitzpatrick adds 9.4 ppg, but is listed as out for Sunday due to illness.

The Hawks are shooting 37.9 percent overall and 31.2 percent from three. They score 61.1 ppg while yielding 62.3. They are also strong in limiting turnovers, ranking second (behind La Salle) with a +3.20 turnover margin against league foes while committing a league-low 11.8 miscues per game.

Next Up
Seeding and game times for the Atlantic 10 Championship will be released on Sunday afternoon.