St. Bonaventure, NY - The La Salle women's basketball team heads north to St. Bonaventure on Saturday at 1:00 PM (previously 3:00) for an Atlantic 10 matchup with St. Bonaventure at the Reilly Center, as the Explorers look to snap a five-game skid and continue their recent success against the Bonnies on the road.
Scouting the Bonnies
Despite sitting outside the upper tier of the Atlantic 10 standings, St. Bonaventure has shown flashes at home this season. The Bonnies earned a convincing 57-48 victory over Saint Joseph's on January 14 before falling to George Mason by the same score in their most recent outing. Offensively, Laycee Drake and Aaliyah Parker form a productive backcourt tandem, averaging 14.7 and 12.7 points per game respectively. Parker led the Bonnies with 11 points against George Mason, while Drake reached double figures in each of the two games prior. La Salle and St. Bonaventure have met 26 times, with the series even at 13 wins apiece. The Explorers are unbeaten in their two previous trips to Olean, most recently earning a 67-58 victory last season behind 21 points from Joan Quinn on 12 shots.
Stealing the Show
Aryss Macktoon is on pace to break La Salle's single-season steals record of 90, set by Ashley Gale during the 2010-11 season. Her 72 steals rank third nationally and lead the Atlantic 10. Macktoon has recorded at least one steal in every game this season, with multiple steals in all but one. Joan Quinn and Ashleigh Connor also sit among the conference's top 15 in steals, helping La Salle lead the A-10 in team steals.
Career-High Ki
In Wednesday's loss at Loyola Chicago, redshirt freshman Kiara Williams scored a career-high 20 points on just 13 shot attempts. The outing marked her tenth game scoring in double figures this season, with the Explorers now 5-5 in those contests.
Lucky 7
Against Loyola Chicago, the Explorers played a seven-player rotation, the shortest bench head coach Mountain Macgillivray has used this season. Each starter logged at least 26 minutes, with Macktoon and Connor both playing 36.
Third Quarter's the Charm
Despite losses in each of their last four games, the Explorers have consistently controlled the third quarter. La Salle outscored Saint Joseph's, Saint Louis, Davidson, and Loyola Chicago by a combined 35 points in the period, posting advantages of 24-8, 19-9, 21-18, and 17-11 respectively. The third quarter remains the only quarter in which La Salle owns a positive point differential this season.
Getting Some Revenge
In the loss to Saint Louis, former Billiken Ashleigh Connor poured in a career-high 25 points while adding eight rebounds. After opening the season with three straight 20-point performances, the outing marked her first 20-plus scoring effort since that stretch.
