La Salle women pull away late to beat Binghamton in the WNIT, will face Army next
Aryss Macktoon led La Salle with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.
La Salle stands on defense against Binghamton in the second half during a home game at John Glaser Arena on Monday, March 23, 2026, in PhiladelphiaRead moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
by Conor Smith
Updated
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Published
After breaking a 34-year-old WNIT appearance drought, La Salle defeated Binghamton, 70-61, on Monday in the second round.
La Salle (19-13) earned a first-round bye after matching their win total of the last two seasons combined. With the win, the Explorers move on to a Super Sixteen matchup against Army at West Point on Wednesday (6 p.m., ESPN+).
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“We’re going to make the most of it,” said redshirt junior guard Ashleigh Connor. “We’re not here just to play this one game and say we made it. We’re here to go all the way to the end.”
The game was tight through the first three-and-half quarters until La Salle ultimately pulled away. Aryss Macktoon led La Salle with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.
La Salle was also the beneficiary of poor shooting from Binghamton (20-13), which shot 2-for-17 from three.
“Postseasons are fun, right? It doesn’t matter which tournament it’s in,” said Explorers coach Mountain MacGillivray, who notched his 100th career win. “You’re still playing basketball and half the country isn’t. That’s a lot of fun. … That was a really nice crowd to play in front of, it made it feel like a postseason game.”
— La Salle Women’s Basketball (@LaSalle_WBB) March 23, 2026
Connor scored 17 points and added eight rebounds while sophomore guard Joan Quinn had 10 points and three assists.
La Salle Explorers, Aryss Macktoon goes for a layup against Binghamton Bearcats, Leah Middleton in the first half during a home game at Tom Gola Arena on Monday, March 23, 2026, in Philadelphia.Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
La Salle Explorers, Joan Quinn drives to the basket against Binghamton Bearcats, Carletta Bennett in the first half during a home game at Tom Gola Arena on Monday, March 23, 2026, in Philadelphia.Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
La Salle's defense allowed Binghamton to score just nine points in the fourth quarter on Monday.Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
La Salle Explorers, Kiara Williams gets a shot on Binghamton Bearcats, Yanniah Boyd, left, and Kendall Bennett, right, in the first half during a home game at Tom Gola Arena on Monday, March 23, 2026, in Philadelphia.Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
La Salle cheerleader performs a cartwheel jump during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Binghamton, Monday, March 23, 2026, at Tom Gola Arena in Philadelphia.Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
La Salle Explorers guard Ashleigh Connor drives toward the basket against Binghamton Bearcats, Kaia Goode in the first half during a home game at Tom Gola Arena on Monday, March 23, 2026, in Philadelphia.Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
La Salle Explorers, Kiara Williams gets a shot on Binghamton Bearcats, Kendall Bennett, in the first half during a home game at Tom Gola Arena on Monday, March 23, 2026, in Philadelphia.Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
La Salle Explorers, Joan Quinn drives to the basket against Binghamton Bearcats, Carletta Bennett in the first half during a home game at Tom Gola Arena on Monday, March 23, 2026, in Philadelphia.Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
La Salle Explorers guard Ashleigh Connor battles for lose ball against Binghamton Bearcats, Meghan Casey in the first half during a home game at Tom Gola Arena on Monday, March 23, 2026, in Philadelphia.Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
La Salle bench reacts after a three point play against Binghamton in the second half during a home game at Tom Gola Arena on Monday, March 23, 2026, in Philadelphia
Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
La Salle Explorers guard Ashleigh Connor drives toward the basket against Binghamton Bearcats, Kaia Goode in the first half during a home game at Tom Gola Arena on Monday, March 23, 2026, in Philadelphia.Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
La Salle, Ashleigh Connor calls for time out after an offensive rebound against Binghamton, Leah Middleton, left, and Meghan Casey in the second half during a home game at Tom Gola Arena on Monday, March 23, 2026, in Philadelphia
Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
“I’m grateful that they all trust me to take that shot and take a tough shot,” said Macktoon.
For Binghamton, junior guard Leah Middleton notched a team-high 15 points and three rebounds. Bearcats junior forward Kendall Bennett, a Philadelphia native and Germantown Academy graduate, had 12 points and 11 boards.
When asked about the Explorers’ defense in the fourth quarter, when they allowed just nine points, Connor looked over to Macktoon sitting alongside her.
“When your roommate is the Defensive Player of the Year,” Connor said, smiling, “you kind of learn a lot as the season goes on.”
