Nicholas Signoretta, Editor

Molly Masciantonio feeling herself while the Explorers’ offense is cooking. (courtesy of shotbyscornely)

La Salle University women’s basketball had another middling week when all things were said and done, splitting their two games, and leaving plenty of questions unanswered as the final week of regular season A-10 play approaches.

The Explorers opened their week at Tom Gola Arena on Thursday, Feb 16th, with an early game against the Fordham Rams (16-10, 8-5).  Although the game tipped-off at 11AM (peak class hours for Lasallian students), the gym was not without a great home crowd.  The game was labeled as “Kids Day,” meaning Gola was packed with young students from local schools who were spending their field trip cheering on the girls in blue and gold.  The Explorers opened the 1st Qtr strong, amassing an 18-12 lead heading into the first break, but a dismal 2nd Qtr left the girls defending a 26-25 advantage into the locker room.  Needing a strong second half to secure the home victory, La Salle pulled through.  Kayla Spruill led the effort, leading the Explorers with 24 points and going 4 of 6 from deep, further adding to her record of most career 3-Pointers made in La Salle women’s basketball history.  La Salle’s twenty-one point 4th Qtr was enough to give the Explorers the 61-49 win and some momentum heading into the weekend.

The final from Tom Gola Arena. (courtesy of lasalle_wbb)

La Salle finished their week with a trip to the Midwest to face off against the Saint Louis Billikens (12-17, 8-6).  The Sunday, Feb 19th, contest was big for both teams who find themselves caught in a logjam of quality sides contending for a coveted bye in the A-10 tournament only a few weeks away.  The early going saw the Explorers trade blows with the Billikens, amassing a 19-12 lead at the end of the 1st Qtr that would be trimmed down to a 33-31 advantage heading into halftime.  A strong 3rd Qtr by St. Louis would give the home squad a six-point lead going into the 4th Qtr, but a 13-2 La Salle run gave the Explorers a 59-54 advantage with just over six minutes left.  It is here that an agonizing 11-0 Billikens run would seal La Salle’s fate as the Explorers eventually fell 74-63.

The final from Saint Louis’ Chaifetz Arena. (courtesy of lasalle_wbb)

The split week now leaves La Salle with a record of 16-12, with a mark of 7-6 in conference play.  What this means is that the Explorers will need some wins this upcoming week if they wish to have a chance at a double-bye for the upcoming A-10 tournament.  Luckily for the Explorers, the upcoming slate has two winnable games.  The first contest will be at the Dayton Flyers (5-19, 4-9) on Wednesday, Feb 22nd, with a start time of 7PM EST.  The Flyers have been horrid this year, so hopefully this is a win.  La Salle’s next game is their regular season finale, which means it will be Senior Day when the Explorers face off against the VCU Rams (7-19, 4-10) at Tom Gola Arena on Saturday, Feb 25th, at 2PM EST.  The Rams did beat the Explorers earlier this year, so hopefully the girls get revenge on their Virginian foes.  Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.  I hope to report back next week with good news concerning those contests.