Philadelphia, PA - The La Salle women's basketball team returns to Big 5 play on Wednesday night, hosting Saint Joseph's at 6:30 PM at John Glaser Arena, as the Explorers look to bounce back and secure a a win over the Hawks.
Scouting the Hawks
Saint Joseph's enters the matchup having gone 1-2 since defeating the Explorers on January 10, with road losses at George Mason and St. Bonaventure before rebounding with a 72-53 win over Duquesne. In that victory, junior Gabby Casey poured in 26 points and continues to pace the Hawks in scoring (15.9 ppg), rebounding (7.2 rpg), assists (3.5 apg), and steals (2.0 spg) this season. La Salle and Saint Joseph's have met 33 times, with the Hawks holding a 26-7 edge in the series. Despite falling in the most recent meeting, the Explorers seized momentum in the third quarter, outscoring the Hawks 24-8 behind three Joan Quinn three-pointers to briefly take the lead.
Big 5 Roo 'Ki' of the Week
For the second time this season, redshirt freshman Kiara Williams earned Big 5 Rookie of the Week honors following strong performances against Loyola Chicago and St. Bonaventure. Williams scored a career-high 20 points on just 13 shot attempts at Loyola and added 10 points in the win over the Bonnies, marking her 10th and 11th double-digit scoring efforts of the season. La Salle is 6-5 when the Palm Bay, Fla. native reaches double figures.
Spring Cleaning
La Salle debuted a new starting lineup in its win over St. Bonaventure, inserting redshirt freshman Lauren Patnode in place of senior Anna Przyszlak. Patnode finished with five points and a three-pointer in her first start, while Przyszlak contributed seven rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block off the bench.
Sa 'Three' A Jenkins
Sophomore Sania Jenkins knocked down multiple three-pointers for the first time in her collegiate career against St. Bonaventure. The Narrabeen, Australia native ranks fifth on the team in blocks despite ranking 10th in minutes played.
Stealing the Show
Aryss Macktoon continues to climb the national steals leaderboard, ranking sixth in the country with 74 steals while leading the Atlantic 10. She has recorded at least one steal in every game this season and is on pace to break La Salle's single-season program record of 90. Joan Quinn and Ashleigh Connor also rank among the league's top 15, helping the Explorers lead the A-10 in team steals.
Third Quarter's the Charm
The Explorers have dominated the third quarter in recent outings, going 5-0 over their last five games while outscoring opponents by a combined 39 points. La Salle has posted third-quarter advantages against Saint Joseph's, Saint Louis, Davidson, Loyola Chicago, and St. Bonaventure, using the period to swing momentum in each contest.
