Guru’s WBB Report: Jekot Powers Penn State to Win Over Saint Francis (Pa.) While La Salle Crushed in Season/Home Opener by Towson

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

 

Penn State shot the lights out of its nearby neighbor Saint Francis, Pa., at home in the Bryce Jordan Center in State College on the way to an 87-54 victory Monday night while La Salle finally got its season started at home in the Tom Gola Arena and there was not much memorable off the 95-66 victory from Towson.

 

In the only other news of the day involving locals, Villanova has stood aside from its Big East home opener Friday night for a future date to accommodate DePaul playing No. 5 Louisville in a Jimmy V game up at the Mohegan Sun.

 

The No. 20 Blue Demons are replacing No. 3 Connecticut that has been in a quarantine per Covid-19 positive tests. Protocols in place in Santa Clara County, Calif., have now cost No. 2 Stanford four games, including the need to re-arrange PAC-12 affairs until late December.

 

DePaul was one of the few ranked teams playing Monday night and at home in the Wintrust Arena set a program record blasting Chicago State 128-66 to set a program record for points.

 

The onslaught included 19 three-pointers. 

 

The Blue Demons were coming out of a narrow home loss on the weekend to nationally-ranked Texas A&M.

 

Freshman Kendall Holmes led the charge with a game-high 23 points fueled by 8-for-12 from beyond the ark. Lexi Held and Sonya Morris each scored 21 points, while Dee Bekelja scored 15, and Darrione Rogers scored 12 and Deja Church scored 11.

 

Villanova, now barring an insertion for a non-conference matchup, gets to hit the Big East in its next game, traveling to Saint Johns, Sunday, at 6 p.m. in Carnesecca Arena on Long Island.

 

Meanwhile, speaking of Villanova, former Wildcats star Kelly Jekot had another big outing for the Nittany Lions, who are now 2-0, scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in her second straight double double performance.

 

Penn State shot 56.7 percent from the field against the Red Flashes, whose home campus in Loretto is near Altoona, which is close to Happy Valley.

 

Johnasia Cash had 16 points and eight rebounds while Shay Hagans collected 10 points to round out the double figure scorers for the home team.

 

The firepower for the team was the best in four seasons dating to a 59.2 effort for a 106-50 win over Saint Peter’s in early November, 2016.

 

“I thought we played a much better second half after we settled down and stopped turning the ball over so much,” said second-year Penn State coach Carolyn Kieger, who previously coached at Marquette. “Im proud of our defensive effort.

 

“That’s two games in a row that we’ve held our opponent under 35 FG%, which has been a big goal for us this off season. A lot of contributions by a lot of players tonight.”

 

Penn State next will be back in the Bryce Jordan Center Thursday night at 6 hosting Rhode Island under second-year coach Tammi Reiss, who was part of the famed backcourt duo with South Carolina coach Dawn Staley in their playing days in the early 90s at Virginia.

 

Meanwhile, back in the city here, visiting Towson took off from the middle of the first period and went on to decimate La Salle, in its season and home opener.

 

There was a bright spot in freshman Jaye Haynes, who scored 16 in her debut against the Tigers of the Colonial Athletic Association, who dominated the boards 53-36.

 

Kayla Spruill scored nine points, putting her just two short of reach 500 career points in the early part of her junior season.

 

“I am grateful taking the court tonight,” third-year La Salle coach Mountain MacGillivray said of a team short-handed by tests and protocols. “This is a gift to have the opportunity to come out and compete. We’re glad to have the opportunity to do it.

“I don’t know how much I was expecting out there after having one practice under out belt.”

 

On Wednesday, the Explorers will head over to Central Jersey in West Long Branch near Asbury Park to meet Monmouth of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference at 7 p.m. The Hawks normally like La Salle televise many games on ESPN+. The full squad is expected to make the trip.

Shavonne Smith had a game-high 19 points for Towson.

“We got out-msucled, we got out-quicked, we got out-shot,” MacGillivray said. “The number one thing is not having a couple of your better players and having a team that is not in basketball condition after two and a half weeks off. We wanted to play this game.”

 

Nationally on Monday No. 18 Gonzaga edged host South Dakota 54-50 while out in the Northwest in a game as they say in election talk we’re calling though not over No. 10 Oregon had a 65-33 lead at nearby Portland early in the fourth and final quarter.

 

Locally, on the schedule beyond the aforementioned next La Salle and Penn State games, now for the rest of the week, subject to change daily, Rider will host Army at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, while Delaware is at Delaware State at 1 p.m., and Division II Lincoln has been able to find willing Division I takers in the Age of Coronavirus and will be No. 23 Syracuse at 5.

 

Nationally, at 7, No. 8 North Carolina State is at No. 1 South Carolina on ESPN2, part of the two-night women’s side of the Jimmy V games besides Friday’s Louisville-DePaul game at Mohegan.

 

Rider is at Delaware State at 1 p.m. on Saturday, while Saint Francis, Pa., will be at La Salle at 1 p.m. and Drexel is at Monmouth at 2 p.m.

 

On Sunday, Temple finally as of now gets to start the Owls season, returning a 2020 game by traveling to Florida Gulf Coast at 2 p.m.

 

No. 13 Texas A&M is at No. 25 Texas at 8 in a nationally attractive Sunday night game.

 

To note the other locals, Rutgers’ has yet to announce another non-conference game ahead of its Big Ten schedule, Penn and Princeton are sidelined by the Ivy decision to cancel winter sports, Saint Joseph’s is still in quarantine.

 

And that’s the report.