Saint Francis Travels to La Salle Saturday for Programs’ First-Ever Meeting
Maria Slovikovski
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis women's basketball team travels to La Salle on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.
The Matchup: Saint Francis (0-3) at La Salle (1-1)
Location: Tom Gola Arena (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Date and Time: Saturday, Dec. 5 – 4 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: goexplorers.com
Game Notes: Saint Francis
Social Media: Facebook |
Twitter |
Instagram
SCOUTING THE EXPLORERS
La Salle enters Saturday's contest with an even 1-1 record to open the 2020-21 season. The Explorers fell in the season opener against Towson, 95-66, before beating Monmouth on the road by a 64-46 margin on Wednesday. Last season, the Explorers finished with an overall record of 13-17 and a conference record of 7-9. La Salle beat Penn State during non-conference play but ultimately fell to Davidson in the first round of the A-10 Championships. This season, the Explorers were picked to finish 10th in the conference in the preseason poll.
The Explorers return the top three scorers from the 2019-20 season in sophomore guard Claire Jacobs, junior guard/forward Kayla Spruill and sophomore forward Jordon Lewis. Jacobs was named to the preseason all-conference second team after averaging 13.7 points per game during her freshman season. She currently leads the Explorers' scoring efforts this season with 16 points in one game played. Spruill was second on the 2019-20 team with 11.0 ppg and 6.1 rebounds per game. She currently leads the roster with 7.0 rpg through the first two contests this season. Lewis averaged 7.3 ppg last season and is averaging 5.0 ppg so far this season. Transfer Molly Masciantonio is currently second in scoring among the Explorers' roster with 10.5 ppg.
SERIES HISTORY
This is the first meeting between Saint Francis and La Salle.
LAST TIME OUT
Saint Francis fell in a heart-breaker to Duquesne in the Red Flash home opener on Wednesday. The Dukes sunk a buzzer-beater to spoil the Red Flash's comeback as the final score was 69-67. SFU had three scorers in double figures for the first time this season as senior guard
Karson Swogger led with 15 points. Sophomore forward/center
Katie Dettwiller and junior guard
Lili Benzel also scored in double figures with 13 and 10 points, respectively. Benzel led the roster with seven boards while senior guard/forward
Haley Thomas led with five assists. The Red Flash faced an 11-point deficit going into the fourth quarter before the defense kicked into drive, keeping the Dukes scoreless for eight minutes during the fourth quarter as the Red Flash tied the game twice late in the fourth quarter. Duquesne got the ball with 18 seconds on the game clock and a tie game. After the initial shot was blocked by Dettwiller, a quick offensive rebound and put-back beat the buzzer and gave the Dukes the victory.
Follow Saint Francis Women's Basketball on
Facebook,
Instagram, and
Twitter to get up-to-date information and a behind-the-scenes look at the Red Flash program.
To learn more about Saint Francis University, visit
francis.edu.
