San Diego, CA - The La Salle women's basketball team will take part in the UC San Diego Winter Classic on Friday and Saturday. The Explorers will take on Northern Kentucky on Friday at 2:00 PM PT and the host UC San Diego on Saturday at noon PT. 

Closing Out Non-Conference Play 

This weekend marks the final two non-conference games of the season for the Explorers, who are 1-0 in Atlantic 10 action after a 55-45 win at Loyola Chicao in the conference opener on December 3. La Salle will play 17 consecutive league games for the remainder of the season, with this year's A10 tournament set for March 5-9.

Series History

Friday's game against Northern Kentucky will be the second-ever matchup between the Explorers and Norse. In 2018, Sophomores Michelle Nicholls (21 pts.) and Deja King (16 pts.) each scored career highs to lead La Salle to a 74-56 victory over Northern Kentucky. Collectively, the Explorers scored a season-high in points. In their next game following the victory, the Explorers also faced a team from California in Pepperdine.

Saturday's game will be the first-ever meeting between La Salle and UC San Diego. The two schools met on the men's side earlier this season, with UCSD earning a 72-67 victory.

Scouting The Norse

NKU enters Friday's matchup with a 2-9 record on the season and has lost seven games in a row after earning consecutive wins over Marshall and Cedarville in November. NKU averages 62.7 points per game, with Halle Idowu scoring a team-high 13.3 points per game.

Scouting The Tritons

UCSD comes into the weekend with a 3-8 mark on the season and will look to extend its two-game winning streak this weekend after earning victories over Cal State Bakersfield and Cal Baptist. The Tritons are 1-1 in Big West play, with Saturday's game serving as their penultimate non-conference game of the season.

Trending Up

The Explorers have won five of their last eight games going into this weekend. After closing out the first month of the season with three straight victories over Rider, American, and Lehigh, La Salle opened up Atlantic 10 play with a 55-45 over Loyola Chicago before earning the win over Chestnut Hill last Friday.

Overall, the Explorers are just two wins away from matching last year's win total. 

Last Friday's victory moved La Salle to 4-1 at the brand new John E. Glaser Arena this season. The Arena  features a 360-degree bowl with all chairbacks, state-of-the-art video boards, both in the center hung and multiple ribbons, a new HVAC system, completely redone audio and lighting systems and several more improvements to the fan experience that  contribute to an improved homecourt advantage for the Explorers. 

Crashing The Boards 

La Salle ranks 32nd in the country and third in the A10 with 15 offensive rebounds per game.  The Explorers are fourth in the conference with 40 rebounds per game. 

Stealing The Ball

La Salle is 45th nationally with 11.1 steals per contest, which is good for second in the Atlantic 10. Sophomore Aryss Macktoon leads the Explorers with 34 steals on the season, which is among the Top-15 in the country. 

Depth Is Key

Last Friday's victory marked the fifth time four Explorers scored in double figures in a game. La Salle also managed to pull off the feat against Temple, Delaware, Lehigh, and Loyola Chicago.

Against Chestnut Hill, a season-high 12 players recorded at least one point.

Newcomers Make Noise 

Multiple first-year Explorers eclipsed career highs in the last two weeks. Diora Ressaissi recorded her first collegiate points against Penn before adding five points against Chestnut Hill, while freshman Sania Jenkins scored three against the Quakers and four against the Griffins for her first collegiate points.  Junior Ivy Fox added a career-high 10 points against the Griffins. 

A Milestone Victory

The Explorers eclipsed multiple milestones against Chestnut Hill.

The 49-point victory marked La Salle's largest win since earning a 77-30 victory over Hartford on January 2, 2023.

In the victory, the Explorers grabbed 60 rebounds, the most by an Atlantic 10 team against NCAA opposition. La Salle's 95 points were the fifth-most points scored in the Atlantic 10 in a game this season, while the Explorers' 40 Field goals tied for the most in the Atlantic 10 this year. 

Mackenzie Daleba's double-double marked the first double-double for an Explorer since Gabby Crawford recorded 22 points and 12 rebounds against Saint Joseph's on February 2, 2022.

Next Up 

Following the holiday break, the Explorers will take on George Washington on December 29 at 2:00 pm at John Glaser Arena.