Women's Basketball | January 27, 2023

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The La Salle women's basketball team will host the St. Bonaventure Bonnies this Saturday, Jan. 28 at 2 p.m. A victory for the Explorers would mark the first time the team won five consecutive Atlantic 10 games under the tenure of head coach Mountain MacGillivray.
 
The game, presented by Stout's Transportation, will stream live on ESPN+. Fans are encouraged to wear their rainbow in celebration of Pride Day. A canvas signifying fans' commitment to being an ally of the LGBTQ+ community will be available to sign in the mezzanine pregame.
 
SCOUTING THE EXPLORERS:

• La Salle enters the series on a four-game win streak most recently defeating Loyola Chicago on the road, 67-51.
• A win against the Bonnies would mark the first time the Explorers have won five consecutive games since the 2019-20 season. It would also mark the team's first time winning five-straight in the A-10 since 2016-17.
• Kayla Spruill led the game with 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting including 3-of-5 from the 3-point range and 2-of-2 from the line. Spruill has now reached double-digits in 13 games.
• Spruill is just four threes away from tying the program's all-time career threes made record of 208 set by Jamie Walsh (2006-10). Moreover, Spruill has creeped her way onto the top-10 list in career blocks sitting in 10^th place with 69 blocks. She is the Explorers' fifth all-time leading scorer with 1,511 career points.
• Mia Jacobs (13), Claire Jacobs (11) and Molly Masciantonio (10) all ended the game in double-digits marking the 12^th time that at least three Explorers have reached 10-plus points in a game this season. It was also the fifth A-10 contest where three or more have hit double figures.
• La Salle took a narrow lead into the half against Loyola Chicago eventually mounting a 21-0 run that led to the ultimate victory. The Explorers are now 10-0 when leading at the half this season having yet to concede the victory when taking the advantage after the first 20 minutes.
• The Explorers look to continue its momentum at the boards with its +10 rebounding margin against the Ramblers La Salle has outrebounded its opponent in just seven games this season winning six of those contests where it has beaten its opponent at the boards.
• Claire Jacobs' 11 points mark her 16^th game this season where she has hit double-digits including the last four-straight. Jacobs is joining Spruill in the record books moving in third on the all-time leaderboard for threes made with 177, sitting just nine made threes away from moving into second. Her 1,380 career points put her at 13^th all-time in scoring.
• Masciantonio has now recorded four games in double-digits and eight games with five or more assists. She has committed one or zero turnovers in nine games this season. The point guard currently ranks second in the nation and first in the league in assist/turnover ratio, 3.95.
• The threes continue to fall for the Explorers ranking 41^st in the nation in three-pointers per game (8.0). La Salle has had six games with 10 or more made threes.

 
SCOUTING THE BONNIES:

• St. Bonaventure enters the contest with La Salle following a 92-61 loss at Saint Joseph's on Wednesday night.
• I'yanna Lops serves at the Bonnies leading scorer averaging 11.7 points per game. She added a game-high 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting against the Hawks.
• Nikki Oppenheimer also finished the game in double-digits with a career-high 17 points including a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
•  The Bonnies were consistent from the charity stripe in the game sinking 11-of-12 (91.6%) for their second-highest percentage from the foul line this season.
• Lops is a force on the defensive end of the court as well. With four blocks in the Jan. 14 game against Davidson she became the third player in program history with 100 career blocks totaling 109 currently. She ranks second in the A-10 and 13^th in the NCAA in blocks with 49, a new career-high.

SERIES HISTORY:

• This will be the 36^th overall meeting between the Explorers and the Bonnies. La Salle holds an 11-4 advantage over the Bonnies when playing at home.
• The Explorers are on a one-game skid in the all-time series dropping its last road contest to the Bonnies last season after previously snapping a skid in the series with a home win the season prior.
• The last time the Bonnies visited Tom Gola Arena at TruMark Financial Center the Explorers recorded their largest margin of victory in the series, 26 points, in a 77-51 win on Feb. 28, 2021.