Women's Basketball | January 10, 2023

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The La Salle women's basketball team returns home to Tom Gola Arena at TruMark Financial Center this Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 6:30 p.m. The Explorers look to secure their first Atlantic 10 victory of the season as they play host to George Mason.
 
The game, presented by Independence Blue Cross, will stream live on ESPN+. Families are encouraged to come out and help the Explorers celebrate Family Day!
 
SCOUTING THE EXPLORERS:

• The Explorers enter the contest at 9-8 overall on the season and 0-2 in conference play most recently falling to Rhode Island, 70-59, on the road.
• Charity Shears led the scoring for the Explorers with a team-high 13 points. The graduate transfer came out on top for the Explorers from beyond the arc shooting 3-of-7. The contest marked Shears' seventh in double-digits.
• Kayla Spruill broke her double-digit scoring drought with 10 points in the contest of a 4-of-8 performance shooting and a perfect 2-of-2 effort from the line. Her double-digit performance marked her 11^th of the season, the second-most games of any Explorer. She continues to lead the Explorers scoring effort averaging 12.8 points per game and shooting 50% from the field. Her 3-point shooting (42.4%) ranks second in the league. She breaks the top 10 list in scoring in the A-10 ranking 10^th with 218 points this season.
• Mia Jacobs continues to be a consistent scorer for the Explorers averaging 7.9 points per game, the third most on the team. Jacobs reached 10 points in the contest against the Rams marking her fifth game with 10-plus points. The freshman sunk 5-of-6 buckets from the foul line marking the seventh time the forward has sunk at least four buckets from the charity stripe in a game.
• Claire Jacobs sat just one-point shy of double figures with nine points. The senior is averaging 12.5 points per game making her the only other Explorer to be averaging double-digits this season. She has recorded 12 games in double figures including three games with 20-plus points.
• Both Spruill and Jacobs continue to climb up the all-time scorers list. Spruill's 1,466 career points rank 10^th amongst the program's all-time point-scorers while Jacobs' 1,320 points place her at 13^th.
• Spruill's 195 3-point field goals made put her just 13 3-pointers away from tying the program's all-time record of 208 set by Jamie Walsh (2006-10).

SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS:

• The Patriots come to 20^th & Olney with a 9-7 overall record and a 2-1 league mark winning its last two-straight conference matchups against Duquesne and St. Bonaventure after dropping its conference opener at home against Dayton.
• George Mason hosted Duquesne in EagleBank Arena on Sunday downing the Dukes in a 61-45 victory.
• Tamia Lawhone (15 pts), Paula Suarez (11 pts) and Taylor Jameson (10 pts) all posted double-digit performances in the game making the Patriots 9-3 this season when multiple players hit double-digits in a game.
• Suarez's 11 points marked a career-high. She also added three assists and a steal. Jameson notched a game-high four assists in the contest.
• Senior Nalani Kaysia saw a career-high four blocks and three assists along with nine points, eight rebounds and two steals.
• Mason held the Dukes to 28.3% shooting from the field and 26.1% from the 3-point range marking the second-straight game the Patriots have held their opponent to under 30% in both categories.

SERIES HISTORY:

• This is the 15^th all-time meeting between the two teams. The Explorers lead the series 10-4.
• La Salle holds a 6-2 advantage when playing at home and has yet to concede a victory to the Patriots in Tom Gola Arena at TruMark Financial Center since 2019.
• The Explorers have won the last five-straight contests against the Patriots including its most recent 10-points victory, 63-53, last season on the road.