Women's Basketball | December 30, 2022

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The La Salle women's basketball team will look to secure its first conference and Big 5 win before the end of the year as it takes on Saint Joseph's in a New Year's Eve showdown to kick off conference play at home in Tom Gola Arena at TruMark Financial Center. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
 
The game, presented by Valley Forge Sports, will stream live on ESPN+ with Corey Cohen on the play-by-play. Fans are encouraged to come early to receive an exclusive La Salle women's basketball 2023 calendar! Grab your tickets for the game here.
 
SCOUTING THE EXPLORERS:

• La Salle opens Atlantic 10 play against conference and Big 5 foe Saint Joseph's. The contest will mark the third meeting for the teams in the year 2022. A victory would not only make La Salle 3-0 in 2022 against the Hawks, but also increase its win-streak in the series to four.
• This marks the first time since joining the Atlantic 10 that the two teams have faced each other to start conference play. The Explorers are 1-3 in the first conference game of the season under head coach Mountain MacGillivray. Last season's come-from-behind victory over Fordham marked the first win to start conference play for the Explorers since the 2016-17 season with a 54-51 victory over Dayton on Dec. 4.
• Kayla Spruill continues to lead the offensive efforts for the Explorers this season. The senior is just one of two Explorers averaging double digits with 13.8 points per game. Her 48.6% shooting performance from beyond the arc ranks third in the league and 28th in the nation. Her 14 points in the game at Villanova marked her 13th double-figure game of the season, the most of any Explorer. She went 2-of-2 from deep marking her third 100% shooting performance in a game this season.
• Gabby Crawford recorded her first double-digit performance for the first time in five games shooting 5-of-8 from the field, 1-of-2 from three and 2-of-2 from the line for 13 points. The game marked her first time hitting 10 points this season.
• Claire Jacobs is currently averaging 12.4 points per game. Her 11-points against the Wildcats marked her ninth game in double-digits and fourth fourth-straight. She ranks 59th nationally in three-point attempts with 85.
• The Explorers rank 40th in the nation in 3-pointers attempted per game (25.2) and 56th in 3-pointers made per game (7.7).
• Julie Jekot will go head-to-head with sister Katie Jekot on St. Joe's for the duos third matchup of their careers together.

 
SCOUTING THE HAWKS:

• Saint Joseph's begins its conference campaign after a nearly flawless non-conference season. The Hawks won nine-straight to start the season before falling to Villanova 82-59 on Dec. 10. The team enters the contest most recently suffering its first home loss to James Madison 78-66 on Dec. 21.
• Mackenzie Smith comes to 20^th and Olney following her best two-game performance of her career with a career-best 31 points against James Madison. Across the last two games, Smith dropped 52 points to improve her points per game by nearly 2.5.
• Olivia Mullins is one to watch after almost recording a triple-double against Wright State. She went on to notch a career-high 12 points against James Madison. Mullins averaged 11.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists across the two contests.
• Talya Brugler leads the Hawks with 15.8 points per game. She posted a career-high 27 points in the victory over Wright State.
• Brugler and Smith led the Hawks with 10 games in double-digits.

SERIES HISTORY:

• This will be the 66th overall meeting between the Hawks and the Explorers. St. Joe's leads the series 15-51. La Salle has defeated the Hawks on its home court just 10 times in in history.
• La Salle currently holds a three-game win streak in the series recording a 2-0 record against the Hawks in the 2021- 2022 season. A victory on Saturday would make the Explorers 3-0 against St. Joe's in 2022.
• Gabby Crawford shined for the Explorers in both games against the Hawks last season recording her first double-double on Feb. 2 and knocking down an impressive 9-of-9 from the line on Jan. 17.