Women's Basketball | December 7, 2021

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The La Salle women's basketball team returns home to Tom Gola Arena for a midweek matchup against UMES following a three-game road series on Wednesday, Dec. 8. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. This will be the first-ever matchup between the two teams in program history.
 
SCOUTING THE EXPLORERS:

• La Salle (5-3) enters the midweek matchup against Maryland Eastern Shore following back-to-back wins on the road the previous week, the most recent being at Saint Francis (Pa.). The Explorers are now 5-3 this season.
• The Explorers trailed by as many as 10 in the second frame, but an 18-point scoring effort from senior Kayla Spruill combined with a season-high 30 points from turnovers helped push La Salle to victory over the Red Flash, 64-59.
• Spruill's 8-for-8 effort from the free throw line in the contest marks the second-straight game which the senior has shot 100% in a minimum of five attempts from the line. She currently ranks third in the nation in free throw percentage and first in the Atlantic 10 shooting 96.9% from the line.
• Molly Masciantonio led the defensive charge for the Explorers with a career-high nine steals in the contest. Her nine steals tied the all-time single game record last set by Jennifer McGowan back in 1993, making her the first Explorer to reach nine steals in a single game in 28 years.
• Masciantonio's nine steals helped the Explorers to nearly double their previous season-high steal total, previously set at 13, with a total of 21 in the game.
• As a group, La Salle is shooting 34.5% from the field, 29.7% from the long range and 80.7% from the line.

 
SCOUTING THE HAWKS:

• Maryland Eastern Shore (4-4) enters the contest following a victory against Navy at home on Sunday, Dec. 5. A pair of key free throws in the final seconds and a defensive stop pushed the Hawks to the 66-61 victory.
• Mya Thomas led the game for the Hawks with a team-high 14 points. She currently averages 6.5 points per game, the fourth-highest on the team.
• Bairesha Gill-Miles leads the offensive effort for the Hawks this season averaging 8.9 points per game. She is currently shooting 50.9% (27-of-53) from the field. She is also UMES' leading rebounder averaging 4.9 boards per game.
• Amanda Carney is leading from deep for the Hawks shooting 11-for-43 (.256) in eight games.
• As a group, the Hawks are shooting 41.0% from the field, 25.8% from the long range and 63.1% from the charity stripe.