Henrico, VA - The La Salle women's basketball team will take on Dayton in the second round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament on Thursday at 7:30 PM
Last Time Out
Redshirt Sophomore
Ashleigh Connor's game-winning buzzer-beater gave the Explorers a 50-48 victory over VCU in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament on Wednesday night.
This marked La Salle's first victory in the Atlantic 10 Tournament since 2021, when the Explorers beat #9 Duquesne. It's also just the second-ever victory by a #14 seed in the history of the tournament.
The Iron Women
With junior
Ayisse Magassa on Wednesday night and sophomore
Aryss Macktoon in the regular season finale against VCU, an Explorer has played all 40 minutes of a game in consecutive games.
The Series
Thursday's game marks the fourth all-time matchup between the two teams in the Atlantic 10 Tournament and first since 2021, with the Explorers looking for their first win against the Flyers in the postseason.
Earlier this season, La Salle fell 79-61 at Dayton.
The Explorers used an 8-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 62-55, but it wasn't enough, as the Flyers pulled away late for the victory.
This marks the 45th meeting between the two teams. The last La Salle win against Dayton came in 2016 on the road.
Scouting The Flyers
Dayton enters the A-10 Tournament with a 21-9 overall record and finished the regular season with an 11-6 mark. The Flyers have won three straight games going into Thursday's matchup.
Quinn Earns All-Rookie Honors
Freshman
Joan Quinn earned a spot on the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team, the league announced on Tuesday.
Quinn is the eighth Explorer in program history to earn a spot on the A-10's All-Rookie team and first since Claire Jacobs in 2019-20.
The Newtown Square native finished the regular season with the second-most points on the team and averages 9.1 points per game and 2.2 assists per game going into the A-10 tournament.
Quinn has started 24 games this season while appearing in all 32 games and has scored in double figures 13 times this season. In January, Quinn led the Explorers with 14 points per game against Massachusetts and George Mason for her first-ever Rookie of the Week honor before having two consecutive 20-point performances against Saint Joseph's and St. Bonaventure.
Stealing The Ball
La Salle entered the A-10 tournament ranked 73
rd nationally with 9.5 steals per game, which is good for third in the Atlantic 10. Despite missing significant time due to injury, sophomore
Aryss Macktoon finished the regular season third in the league with 64 steals.
Macktoon had five steals against Fordham a week ago and recorded a career-high eight steals in the regular season finale against VCU. Macktoon also tied a season-high in rebounds (9) and assists (4), and played all 40 minutes for the first time in her collegiate career while scoring18 points against the Rams.
Consistency Is Key
Junior
Ayisse Magassa is the lone Explorer to start all 31 games this season. Magassa finished the regular season as the team leader in offensive rebounds with 62. Additionally, she leads the Blue and Gold in field goal percentage at 44.5%.
Crashing The Boards
La Salle finished the regular season with 12.8 offensive rebounds per game, which is 78
th nationally.
The Magic Formula
The Explorers are 5-1 on the season when allowing fewer than 55 points. La Salle is 6-1 on the season when scoring 65 or more points.
Next Up
The winner of Thursday's game will face #3 Davidson on Friday.
