Women's Basketball | February 4, 2021

PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle women's basketball team (9-8, 5-5 A-10) return to Tom Gola Arena this weekend as it is scheduled to host Saint Louis (4-3, 2-3 A-10) on Friday at 6 p.m. and Dayton (8-1, 7-0 A-10) on Sunday at noon. Both games will stream nationally on ESPN+ and internationally through the Atlantic 10.
 
SCOUTING THE EXPLORERS:

• La Salle has won four of its last five games and six of its last eight.
• The Blue & Gold are fresh off a 69-63 win at UMass, its first over the Minutewomen in four years.
• Sophomore Claire Jacobs is leading the Explorers with 15.2 ppg this season. Jacobs has scored 15+ in 11 of 16 contests this season, including 10+ in 24 of her last 26 games. She also leads the team in steals with 1.9 per game and second in rebounds with 4.6. Over La Salle's last eight games, Jacobs bumps her scoring efforts up to 15.6.
• Junior Kayla Spruill sits second on the squad with 13.7 ppg and leads the team with 4.9 rpg. Spruill is shooting 47.9% overall and 46.2% from the deep. She's registered 11 or more points in the last six games, including 16+ in five, and 20+ in three. Over the Explorers last eight games, she's improved her scoring total to 18.8 ppg, 52.8% shooting, and 50% from three-point range.
• Junior Molly Masciantonio boasts 8.1 ppg, followed by seniors Deja King (5.6) and Kate Hill (5.5) as the Explorers active players above 5.0 ppg.
• Hill is one of the best ball handlers in the nation with an assist to turnover ratio of 3.20, which ranks 11^th in the country. She's dished out 80 assists on the season for 12^th best in the nation and is averaging 4.7 apg. Hill has recorded at least four assists in 13 of her 17 games this year, including five or more in 10.
• Collectively, La Salle is leading the A-10 in assists, free throw attempts, free throws made, steals, three-point field goals, three-point field goals made, and turnovers forced. The Explorers rank sixth nationally in three pointers attempted and 12^th in three pointers made.

SCOUTING THE BILLIKENS:

• Saint Louis is 4-3 overall and 2-3 in league play with losses to Fordham, UMass, and Dayton.
• The Billikens have had 13 games postponed this season, including a stretch of of 10 straight from Dec. 9 to Jan. 16.
• Saint Louis has a trio of double-digit scorers so far this season in Ciaja Harbison (15.6), Myriama Smith Traore (10.1), and Rachel Kent (10.0).
• Overall, the Billikens are outscoring its opponents on average 65.1 to 62.7.
• The team is shooting 36.0% overall, 29.3% from deep, and 72.0% from the line.

SERIES HISTORY – SAINT LOUIS:

• The Billikens hold the all-time record 9-7, including five of the last six matchups.
• La Salle's last victory game inside Tom Gola Arena on Feb. 7, 2018, 87-76.

SCOUTING THE FLYERS:

• Dayton is 8-1 on the year and 7-0 in the Atlantic 10. It is set to take on Saint Joseph's on Friday.
• Erin Whalen (13.7) and Jenna Giacone (12.4) are pacing the Flyers in scoring. The squad boasts an additional five players averaging 5.0 or more points per game.
• Dayton is scoring 64.7 points per game and holding opponents to just 53.4.
• The Flyers are shooting 42.3% from the floor, 31.5% from long range, and 67.9% from the stripe.

SERIES HISTORY – DAYTON:

• The Flyers own the all-time record 23-16, including 15 of the last 16 contests.
• La Salle's last win came back in 2016 and last at home was in 2006.