The Guru Report - Local Edition: La Salle Stuns Host Fordham While Drexel and Delaware Complete Perfect Road Gains in CAA

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

With La Salle’s originally scheduled visit to Massachusetts to get its delayed start in the Atlantic 10 for the season knocked out by positive tests in the Minutewomen’s program and Rhode Island suffering the same fate in its operation on the eve of facing Fordham, the conference moved to save its CBSSN TV noon slot Sunday by moving up the Rams’ hosting date with the Explorers and shipping La Salle to the Bronx.

What the conference got for its action was La Salle rallying from a 12-point deficit at the half and surging past coach Stephanie Gaitley’s squad to a 71-62 victory — easily one of the best wins if not the best in the non-conference category in the Mountain MacGillivray era.

Any given Sunday doesn’t always apply to A-10 matchups on that day but it certainly did this weekend.

Snapping an eight-game losing streak in the series, La Salle (8-5, 1-0 A-10) bolted from behind with 45 points in the second half, including 26-8 in the fourth quarter. In those two periods, Kayla Spruill got 15 of her 24 points, including her 1,000th in the fourth, while Amy Jacobs had 12 of her 14 and for the game Spruill’s 10 rebounds got her to four double doubles on the season.

Molly Masciantonio also scored in double figures for the visitors, collecting 10 points, while Claire Jacobs, the twin sister to Amy scored nine points.

Spruill became the 26th member to score 1000 or more points in the program, that claims former South Jersey star Cheryl Reeve, currently the WNBA Minnesota Lynx’ coach, who recently was named to head the USA Basketball women in the next Olympic cycle.

Fordham (9-4, 0-1) had a 12-game home win streak snapped with the loss besides a combined five game overall win streak.

“Fordham is the toughest team in our league and we really responded and matched and even surpassed their effort level late in the game,” MacGillivray said. “I am really proud of our players response and togetherness.” 

The Rams before receding upped the lead to 14 early in the third period in the game played in Rose Hill Gym.

Anna DeWolfe collected 28 points for Fordham, while Asiah Dingle scored 14, of which 13 came in the first half.

On Wednesday the Explorers will be back home in the Tom Gola Arena at Trumark Center hosting A-10 preseason favorite Dayton at 6 p.m.

Drexel and Delaware Pull Off CAA Road Wins in OT: The Dragons are now tied with the 2016-17 contingent for the best start in program history after gaining another narrow win, this one in overtime 71-68 at UNC Wilmington in North Carolina to collect a weekend sweep in delayed opening play in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Delaware finally got its CAA action going, winning 86-84 in overtime at College of Charleston in South Carolina.

“Man what a way to open play,” said Blue Hens coach Natasha Adair, who got her 150th victory.

Drexel (10-2, 2-0 CAA) won on Friday in Wilmington, N.C. on a shot just before regulation time expired.

In this one, Tessa Brugler had her seventh double double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Keishanna Washington scored 19 points. Hannah Nihill scored 16 points, and Mariah Leonard grabbed 13 rebounds and Nilhill dished five assists.

“Two road games against tough teams after facing some adversity heading into CAA play,” Drexel coach Amy Mallon texted back to the Guru after the game Sunday.

“Outstanding weekend for Keishana Washington and Tessa Brugler. Big shots by Kate Connolly and Mariah Leonard.”

Drexel after a win over Yale did not play until this weekend, a post-Christmas road trip to Delaware State cancelled by the hosts, and an original scheduled set of visits last weekend from Towson and James Madison pulled and since re-slated later this season because of positive test cases of the corona virus in the pandemic.

The Dragons got the game into overtime with 7.6 seconds left in regulation when they missed a shot but Brugler got the o-bound and then Connolly got the ball and sank the shot as time expired.

The Seahawks (3-9, 0-2) jumped to a 3-0 lead in the extra period but the visitors then responded with a 6-0 run and did not yield the lead once Drexel grabbed it back.

Sierra DaCosta scored 24 for UNCW, Carrie Gross scored 12, and Allie Best scored 10.

This weekend barring any disruptions Drexel, the defending CAA tourney champs, will host Northeastern Friday night at the Daskalakis Athletic Center at 7 p.m., and then welcome Hofstra at 2 p.m. on Sunday, both games airing on the Flohoops streaming subcription network.

Meanwhile, Delaware finally got its CAA portion of the schedule under way as the defending conference regular season champs and tournament runners up also had a narrow outcome following postponements involving its own virus tests.

“What we keep talking about how tough this league is night in and night out, everyone is fighting,” Adair said. “First I have to give a shoutout to Robin (Harmony) and her team. I mean they battled as you guys saw.

“We talked to our players about who we are and what Delaware basketball means. Having been off for two weeks and for some it has been a month since we played.”

Delaware (7-4, 1-0 CAA) had 21 rebounds at the half but finished with 58, including a relentless attack on the offensive glass with 27, which yielded 28 second chance points to 14 by Charleston (8-5, 0-2).

Jasmine Dickey, the nation’s leading scorer when she went out with an injury benefitted from the pause and returned Sunday to score 22, while Ty Battle had 21 points and 22 rebounds, and Lizzie Oleary had 20 points and 14 boards, and Tyi Skinner scored 11.

Charleston’s Tyler Collins had 23 points, Anika McGarity scored 17, and Latrice Perkins scored 16, while reserve Grace Abercrombie scored 13, and substitute Zoe McCrary grabbed 11 boards.

The game got into the extra period at the end of the final quarter, which had six lead changes and seven ties, following a Delaware rally from a 14-point deficit in the third off a 22-7 run.

Battle dumped in a missed Dickey shot with six seconds left to tie and then she blocked Charleston’s attempted game-winner.

In the overtime, Oleary’s foul shot snapped the deadlock and the Blue Hens never trailed.

Battle’s 22 rebounds tied Lori Howard’s equal number against West Chester in 1980 for second best in an individual game.

The Blue Hens return home this weekend running opposite guests at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark from Drexel, hosting Hofstra Friday night at 7 p.m. and Northeastern on Sunday at 1 p.m., both games on the Flohoops network.

Saint Joseph’s Suffers Setback at VCU: Like La Salle, the Hawks landed in a different place from their original outlook off Atlantic 10 shuffling the scheduled, dealing a postponement off George Mason’s visit to Hawk Hill Saturday and sending Cindy Griffin’s squad to the Spiders in Richmond on Sunday.

The visitors’ Lovin Marsicano had a personal best of 23 points and likewise Talya Brugler had a career-high 19 points and career-matching eight rebounds go to waste in what became a 72-64 setback.

Saint Joseph’s (4-9, 0-1) got in trouble in the outset, yielding 22 points to VCU (7-5, 2-0) in the opening period.

The Hawks later shaved an 18-point deficit to five before the home team regrouped to ride out the victory.

Next up on the ever-changing schedule — Saint Joseph’s version — is the originally-set visit from Richmond on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Hagan Arena on Hawk Hill.

Rutgers Downed by Michigan: Unlike previous outings, while the fall behind happened early again for the Scarlet Knights, this time there was no big rally visiting the No. 8 Wolverines at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor and Michigan came up with a 76-47 victory.

Bradley transfer Lasha Petree in front of family and friends got to have her best day in a Rutgers uniform, scoring 18 points, helped by a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line.

Shug Dickson had her 1,000th point off a shot from deep in the second quarter for the Scarlet Knights (7-10, 0-5 Big Ten), who are still looking for their first conference victory. She finished with 14 points.

On one hand before you ask, the fact that Rutgers is the only Division I team with five 1,000 plus scorers needs to be tempered with most of the roster is loaded with newcomers, meaning a lot of heavy lifting was done elsewhere.

As for Michigan (13-2, 4-1), the Wolverines continue to enjoy their best season and highest-ever ranking in the 46th year history of the Associated Press women’s poll.

Michigan’s Naz Hilmon and Leigha Brown each scored 19 points and Maddie Nolan scored 14.

Rutgers next is scheduled to be home this coming Sunday in Jersey Mike’s Arena hosting Wisconsin at 2 p.m. in Piscataway, N.J. on the B1G+ streaming market.

Temple-Penn Postponed: Well, the Owls may be healthy but it is still going to take a while to see if they can tie Villanova for the Big Five title, at the moment 1-1 with a win over the Wildcats and a loss to Saint Joseph’s.

Last month, they called off the La Salle visit off tests and now Tuesday’s hosting by Penn at The Palestra is postponed due to positive tests still occurring in the Penn program.

The Owls are next set to host Houston Saturday at 2 p.m. in McGonigle Hall on ESPN+.

As for the rest of the local slate involving any games in the next week not already mentioned, in a non-conference game Wednesday Ivy leader Princeton at home in Jadwin Gym will welcome the red hot Towson group out of the CAA at 6 p.m.

On Thursday, Michigan visits Penn State in a Big Ten game at the Bryce Jordan Center at 7 p.m. in State College on the conference main network, while Rider visits Canisius in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game at 7 on ESPN3.

Villanova on Friday if clear will visit DePaul at 6:30 p.m. on FS2 in Chicago in the Big East at Wintrust Arena.

On Saturday, Penn pays an Ivy visit to Dartmouth at 2 p.m. on ESPN+ in Hanover, N.H., at Ledee Arena while Princeton is at Brown at 4 p.m. on ESPN+ in Providence, R.I.

On Sunday, Penn State hosts Illinois at 2 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center, the game on the B1G  main streaming network of the conference.

Villanova completes a Big East visit to Marquette inMilwaukee, Wis., Sunday at 2 p.m. on CBSSN.

On Monday, Martin Luther King Day, two rivalry matinee games will see Penn host Princeton at 2 p.m. at The Palestra, on ESPN+, while in the Atlantic 10, but this first of two between the two locals not counting in the Big Five, Saint Joseph’s will host La Salle at noon on CBSSN.

And that’s the local report in a two-part Guru report presentation for Monday morning.