Women's Basketball | January 13, 2023

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The La Salle women's basketball team will host George Washington coming face-to-face with the Colonials for the first time since being knocked out of Atlantic 10 Tournament by the team last March.
 
The game, presented by Steamfitters Local Union 420, will take place on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 12 p.m. in Tom Gola Arena at TruMark Financial Center. La Salle will honor its alumni throughout the game and hold a postgame reception following the contest in the Hideaway at Blue & Gold Commons. Alumni who haven't registered for the reception yet can still do so here.
 
SCOUTING THE EXPLORERS:

• La Salle enters the contest at 10-8 overall on the season and 1-2 in conference play most recently recording its first conference win over George Mason in a home-court advantage victory.  
• Having led by as many as 16 points at the end of the third quarter, the Explorers allowed a 26-point performance from the Patriots in the fourth with Mason coming as close as two points in the final minutes. A crucial three-ball from graduate senior Charity Shears gave La Salle the advantage it needed for the 69-62 win.
• Shears was just one of six different Explorers to convert on a 3-point bucket in the contest. La Salle went 12-of-26 from beyond the arc, just one basket shy of the team's season high and four away from tying the all-time single game program record (16) set in Tom Gola Arena against Saint Louis on Feb. 19, 2022.
• Kayla Spruill had a quiet game offensively with just six points off two 3-point baskets. She ranks fifth on the league's 3-point field goal percentage list shooting 41.7% from beyond the arc this season. The graduate student ranks ninth in field goal percentage (48.8%).
• Claire Jacobs ended the game in double-digits with 18 points shooting 6-of-14 from the field, 4-of-8 from beyond the arc and 2-of-4 from the charity stripe. She ranks 10^th in the A-10 in points with 231 this season averaging 12.8 per game. She has now recorded 13 games in double-digits and five games with four or more 3-point buckets, a season high.
• Mia Jacobs hit 14 points in the game with perfect marks from downtown (2-of-2) and the charity stripe (4-of-4). She has now hit 10-plus in six games including the last two straight. The freshman has also sunk at least four buckets from the charity stripe in eight games. She ranks 13^th in the A-10 in free throw percentage shooting 81% from the line.
• Molly Masciantonio had a stand-out game recording a season-high 13 points off 5-of-9 from the field, 2-of-4 from the 3-point range and 2-of-2 from the foul line. The point guard added seven assists in the game. The graduate student ranks ninth in the league in assists with 60. She currently holds a 3.75 assist/turnover ratio.
• Spruill's two three pointers in the game now put her just 11 away from tying the all-time program record of 208 set by Jamie Walsh (2006-10). Claire Jacobs' four threes in the game push her into fifth on the all-time list with 171 total.
• Three Explorers have now reached double-digits in 11 games this season.
• Both Claire Jacobs and Spruill continue to lead the offensive efforts for La Salle averaging 12.8 and 12.4 points per game, respectively. The duo continues to climb up the program's all-time scorers list with Spruill sitting in eighth with 1,472 points and Jacobs in 13th with 1,338 points.

SCOUTING THE COLONIALS:

• George Washington sits at 11-6 on the season and 3-1 in conference play. The Colonials come to Philadelphia after most recently defeating Fordham in an impressive 63-57 home victory.
• The Colonials are looking for its first 4-1 mark in league play since its 2016-17 campaign.
• Nya Robertson came to play against the Rams dropping a game-high 23 points. The performance improves her A-10 rookie-leading scoring average to 12.2 points per game. The game marked her third 20-point effort this season, leading all GW players. Robertson is the first Colonial with three 20-point games in a season since Neila Luma in the 2018-19 season.

SERIES HISTORY:

• This is the 47^th meeting between the Explorers and Colonials. George Washington holds the 38-8 edge in the overall series. La Salle has only recorded four victories when hosting the Colonials in Philadelphia.
• The Explorers held a three-game win streak over the Colonials having recorded its third consecutive win in the series to round out the regular 2021-22 season. La Salle went on to face George Washington in the second round of the A-10 tournament dropping the contest by 10 points, 64-54.
• Molly Masciantonio led the game for La Salle with a season-high 16 points and added four steals.