Women's Basketball | November 6, 2022

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The La Salle women's basketball team hits the road for its first game of the 2022-23 season this Monday, Nov. 7 at Howard. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. at Burr Gymnasium.
 
SCOUTING THE EXPLORERS:

• La Salle enters this season following its best performance in conference play since the 1996-97 season. The Explorers finished the 2021-22 season at 16-12 overall and 9-6 in Atlantic 10 play. The 16 wins marks the most in a season under the tenure of head coach Mountain MacGillivray and the winningest season since 2016-17 when the Explorers put together a 17-13 run. The Explorers ranked No. 2 in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll.  
• The Explorers return nine players from the previous year roster including the entire starting five. Kayla Spruill, Molly Masciantonio, Claire Jacobs, Amy Jacobs, Jaye Haynes, Jordon Lewis and Julie Jekot will dawn the Blue & Gold once again. Emilee Tahata also returns play-ready following an injury that kept her out the entire season last year.
• La Salle welcomes five new additions to the roster with freshmen Fiona Connolly, Emma Egan, Mia Jacobs, Gabriela Falcão and fifth-year transfer Charity Shears.
• The Explorers were led last year by All-Conference First Team selection Kayla Spruill. Spruill served as the leading scorer last season averaging 15.9 points per game. Her 62-made 3-pointers put her at eighth on the La Salle all-time single-season record list. She shot 45.9% from deep good for third on the all-time single season program record list. Spruill led both La Salle and the conference in free-throw percentage recording 86% from the line. The performance put her ninth on the program's all-time record list in that category. She shot an impressive 51% from the field to place fifth on the league's leaderboard and 58^th in the nation.
• Spruill joined Claire Jacobs last season as the 26^th and 27^th Explorers in history to hit the 1,000-point milestone. Spruill sunk a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter in the come-from-behind victory at Fordham to earn the mark. She finished the season with 1,248 points to place 16^th on the top-scorers list. Jacobs became the third-fastest player in program history to hit the milestone. Her 1,107 points to end the 2021-22 season puts her at 21^st overall on the all-time scoring list.
• Masciantonio stepped up in a big way for the Explorers last season taking on the new role of point guard. The senior ranked second in the Atlantic 10 in assist/turnover ratio (2.3) and fourth in both assists per game (4.5) and steals per game (2.1). The 5-10 Pennsylvania native led the Explorers with 59 steals and tied the single-game program record in steals with nine against Saint Francis (Pa.).
• As a squad, the Explorers set the single-game 3-point field goals made program record. The mark, previously set at 13 in 2008 and tied four times, was first broken against Rhode Island on Feb. 6 with 14 threes. La Salle furthered the record to 16 just two weeks later against Saint Louis on Feb. 19.
• La Salle went 17-for-17 from the line in the contest against Saint Joseph's on Jan. 17 to set a new single-game program mark in free throw percentage.

SCOUTING THE BISON:

• The Bison are looking to come out strong following a historic season and the return of four starters. Howard won the MEAC Championship last year to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament defeating Incarnate Word in the first round. The victory allowed the program to advance past the first round for the first time in history.
• Leading Howard this season is captain and senior guard Iyanna Warren. The 5-3 senior from Maryland led the Bison in assists with 110 last year. She ranked third in steals with 35.
• Howard also welcomes back Destiny Howell. The 5-11 junior averaged almost 13 points per game last season. The well-rounded guard also added 33 assists, 42 steals, 14 blocked shots and 4.0 rebounds per game to go along with 31 steals.
• Krislyn Marsh comes back as the leading returning rebounder pulling down an average of 7.0 boards per game. She led the Bison in field goal percentage at 52% and blocks with 32.
• Kaniyah Harris will be one to watch for the Bison. The junior came off the bench last year to average four points per game. She recorded 19 blocks form the guard position and led the squad in steals with 46. Harris was second in assists with 74.

SERIES HISTORY:

• The contest will be the 10^th matchup between the two programs. La Salle currently leads the all-time series 7-3.
• The Explorers have made the trip down to D.C. only four times in the series history last playing the Bison on the road on Nov. 5, 2020. La Salle is 3-1 when visiting the Bison.
• The teams last met on Dec. 11, 2020 where Howard took the narrow victory, 75-72.