Philadelphia, PA – The La Salle women's basketball team hits the road again on Friday, traveling down broad for a Big 5 matchup against Temple at the Liacouras Center. Tip-off is set for 11:00 AM as the Owls celebrate Kids' Day. The Explorers enter the contest at 3-0 for the first time since the 2006-07 season and riding the momentum of Tuesday night's historic offensive performance at Lehigh.
20-20-20 Vision
On Tuesday, Aryss Macktoon, Ashleigh Connor, and Joan Quinn made program history, becoming the first La Salle trio ever to each score 20 or more points in the same game as the Explorers earned an 81-70 win at Lehigh. The three combined for 66 points, 15 rebounds, 12 steals, and 9 assists in the victory.
Career Games
Through three contests, several Explorers are already setting career-highs across the board. At Loyola (MD), Macktoon posted new bests with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Connor set new highs in free throws made and attempted with nine and 14. Against Saint Francis and Lehigh, Connor added a career-high 22 points and tied her career-best five assists. Quinn and Macktoon have each registered new steal highs, with Quinn recording five against Saint Francis and Macktoon totaling eight at Lehigh.
Get Your Numbers Up
Three games into the season, the Explorers' offense is operating at a much higher level than a year ago. La Salle is averaging more than 20 additional points per game, taking more shots, and converting at nearly 50 percent from the field. Connor leads the team with 21.3 points per game on 58.8 percent shooting and is hitting 66.7 percent of her attempts from three-point range.
Scouting The Owls
Temple enters Thursday's matchup at 2-1. On Tuesday, the Owls fell 89-61 at West Virginia, their largest loss since an identical margin against Villanova in 2023. In their other two contests, they earned convincing wins over Atlantic 10 opponents George Mason and George Washington by a combined 45 points. Junior guard Kaylah Turner leads Temple in scoring and minutes through three games and is shooting 38.5 percent from three after winning AAC Sixth Player of the Year last season. Head coach Diane Richardson, now in her fourth season, previously led Towson to two postseason appearances and brings a decorated athletic background that includes earning a spot on the 1980 U.S. Olympic Track Team.
The teams have met 18 times since the 2005-06 season, with Temple holding a 17-1 advantage. La Salle's lone win came in January 2013 behind 50 combined points from seniors Shanel Harrison and Ebonee Jones. In last season's matchup, the Explorers led by four entering the fourth quarter before falling 69-64. Macktoon and Connor combined for 26 points in that game, while Quinn recorded a career-high two blocks.
