La Salle holds off St. Louis, 59-51, will face Richmond in the A-10 quarterfinals
La Salle claimed its 18th win of the season by beating the Billikens, the best win total for Mountain MacGillivray in his eight seasons as head coach and the most for the Explorers since 2006-07.
La Salle secured its winningest season since 2006-07 and a spot in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals with a 59-51 win over St. Louis in the second round of the Atlantic 10 tournament on Thursday night at the Henrico Sports & Events Center in Glen Allen, Va.
The sixth-seeded Explorers (18-12, 10-8 A-10) were led Ashleigh Connor’s 16 points.
La Salle claimed its 18th win of the season by beating the Billikens, the best win total for Mountain MacGillivray in his eight seasons as head coach. It is the best record for an Explorers team since 2006-07, when La Salle finished 19-11.
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La Salle has won six of its last seven games and will make its first appearance in an A-10 quarterfinal since 2021 when the Explorers face third-seeded Richmond on Friday night.
Statistical leaders
Connor, who began her career at St. Louis, logged eight assists, seven rebounds, and five steals in addition to her 16 points.
Aryss Macktoon scored 15 points and pulled down 14 rebounds. The redshirt sophomore guard was recently named the A-10 Defensive Player of the Year.
Alyssa Koerkenmeier led St. Louis with 18 points. Koerkenmeier, the A-10 Rookie of the Year, was 5 of 13 from the floor and 8 of 11 from the free throw line. The Billikens’ center also grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked five shots.
What we saw
La Salle never trailed, but its lead stayed within a few possessions for much of the first half. An extended 12-2 Explorer run over the final 6 minutes, 16 seconds of the second quarter pushed La Salle’s lead to 10 at halftime.
Macktoon scored eight points in the second quarter, including a turnaround mid-range jumper before the halftime buzzer.
Both offenses sputtered in the third quarter. St. Louis was held scoreless for a 6:43 stretch but still outscored La Salle by three in the frame. The Explorers had a 42-35 advantage entering the fourth.
Despite going scoreless from the field over the final 2:57 of the game La Salle held on for the win.
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Nelson nullified
La Salle led by as many as 10 points in the fourth, but the Billikens trimmed the Explorers’ lead to four with 1:13 remaining.
With a chance to make it a one-possession game, St. Louis’ Alexia Nelson drove into the lane against Macktoon, but her shot was blocked by a rotating Amiya Moses to keep La Salle’s lead at four with 22 seconds to go.
Up next
No. 6 La Salle will face No. 3 Richmond in the A-10 quarterfinals on Friday night (7:30 p.m., CNBC).