The Guru Report: La Salle Nips Saint Joseph’s 61-58 Gains A-10 Series Split in Local Rivalry

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PHILADELPHIA — Saint Joseph’s seemed recovered from last weekend’s narrow loss at Atlantic 10 reigning champion and preseason favorite UMass Wednesday night back home in Hagan Arena and potentially heading for a conference sweep of La Salle until the Explorers owned the third quarter 21-12.

Nevertheless it was still anyone’s game in a defensive dual in the final 10 minutes until La Salle’s Claire Jacobs drove to the basket and snapped a tie with 1:39 seconds left in regulation.

Neither team was able to drop a shot through the basket the rest of the way though with 15.2 seconds left the Hawks had possession, the planned play was covered, but Laura Ziegler had a chance to tie, launched a three and it failed as the final seconds ticked away for a 61-58 win by La Salle.

It’s the third straight win for the Explorers (12-8, 3-2 A-10) after Saint Joseph’s (14-4, 4-2) won another close one in the series 68-64 back on New Year’s Eve at Tom Gola Arena that was also the final Big Five game of the season, giving the Hawks sole possession of third and also the conference opener.

The familiarity from both sides is a reason for the usual low-scoring grind-it-out manner between the two, causing yours truly to quip, the first meeting was a typical Big Five game, the second, a typical game between two Big Five teams in the A-10, being the city series games were already sealed in the history book.

“We know everybody,” said La Salle coach Mountain MacGillivray, who said his first experience with the women’s game was watching Hawks coach Cindy Griffin when she was a player at her alma mater. “Our players know one another. Sisters (SJ - Katie Jekot) (LS - Julie Jekot) are on both teams. 

“It’s not a rivalry of animosity. It’s the way basketball is supposed to be,” the La Salle coach explained. “It’s a rivalry of you really like these people on the other side and you really want to beat them. And I know it’s the same way for them with us. It’s a lot of fun to play these games. You don’t ever like to lose to somebody and you really don’t like to see somebody you really like to lose either. That’s the challenge.”

In fact as men’s coach Fran Dunphy is back at his alma mater at La Salle after successful runs with Penn and Temple, women’s assistant Chris Day had a long stint under Griffin, was part of Penn’s Mike McLaughlin’s Ivy champions, and was brought abroad when MacGillivray was hired.

“It’s more than an Atlantic 10 game,” Griffin said. “I think it adds a bit more flavor because there are local kids on both teams, and just the familiarity of the style they play. 

“You know it’s going to be a possession game. We got them at their place in an possession game. They got us today.”

Jacobs, one of three Australian sisters on the Explorers, scored 18 points and her youngest sibling Mia had a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds, the latter a career high. Amy had six points and five rebounds.

Talya Brugler, the reigning A-10 rookie of the year from last season, had 17 points and six rebounds, while Laura Ziegler and Katie Jekot each scored 11, Jekot also dealing seven assists.

Of the defense of Saint Joseph’s at the end, MacGillivray said, “On that last play they were trying to get open and we were everywhere they were.

“We’ve been playing some pretty good basketball lately,” he said. “Our intensity level, our compete on the boards has just been different since we’ve come back (after the Christmas/New Year’s break) and I couldn’t be more proud, and it’s starting to pay off in wins.

It’s a season of blossoming for both teams — La Salle was picked second in the conference, though the Explorers had struggled a bit until recently.

The Hawks had tied the best overall start in Griffin’s 22-year-era, 14-2, which also occurred when she returned to her alma mater from Loyola, Maryland.

Then came the two tough losses this past week.

“We missed layups and free throws, that’s what we did, we missed layups and free throws and we had some shots that were earlier in offense —- we wanted a different shot,” Griffin said. “I think all shots are good but we wanted the best shot, and so I think we got a little bit ahead of ourselves in some situations.”

La Salle goes to new member Loyola Chicago on Sunday at 3 p.m. while Fordham, one of the better teams in the league, comes here at 2 p.m., both games on ESPN+.

Mindful of these past two losses depriving the Hawks of being in a super situation in the league, Griffin said, “We’ve got to be better in these two-minute situations. The good thing is that we’re in them but we want to come out on top, and we’ve got to be better down the stretch taking care of the ball and getting the shots that we want.”

UMass beat host Fordham 66-57 as Ber’Nyah Mayo had 18npoints for the visiting Minutewoman (14-4, 45-1 A-10), Sam Breen, the reigning A-10 player of the year, had 10 points, 15 rebounds, and four assists, and SydneyTaylor scored ten.

Anna DeWolfe had 33 for the Rams (12-7, 4-2), shooting 7-for-15 threes, and Asiah Dingle scored 18.

Penn State Swept by Minnesota: After giving away the earlier Big Ten encounter in overtime up in Minneapolis, the Lady Lions were seeking redemption in Wednesday’s game at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College but it was not to be as the Golden Gophers under Hall of Famer Lindsay Whalen gained a 75-67 triumph.

Early in the fourth quarter Penn State (11-8, 2-6 Big Ten) still had a chance until Minnesota (9-10, 2-6) went on a 10-run to open a nine-point lead to ride to the finish.

MaKenna Marisa scored 25 points for the home squad, while rookie Shay Ciezki had 17 points and Leilani Kapinus had eight points, six steals, and 10 boards. Additionally, Alexa Williamson, a transfer from Temple, grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds.

The setback came in spite of Penn State forcing 25 turnovers.

Alanna Micheaux had 31 points for Minnesota completing a double double with 10 rebounds. Mara Braun scored 15 points and Mallory Heyer scored 12.

“We have to get tougher, we have to get more discipline, it comes down to those two things, other than that I don’t have much else to say,” said Lady Lions coach Carolyn Kieger. 

Next Wisconsin visits on Sunday at 5 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.

Lehigh Explodes in Overtime: Mackenzie Kramer knocked down a three-ball for the host Mountain Hawks with 1.4 seconds left in regulation to force overtime and then Lehigh enjoyed its new life with 19 points in the extra five minutes to grab a 72-65 win over Loyola Maryland in the Patriot League at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pa.

The visitors got the last regulation shot off but it did not drop.

“First thoughts are you gotta find a way sometimes,” said first-year coach Addie Micir. “Scrap, claw, fight. Really proud of how we ended the fourth quarter. It just showed some resilience, and we looked like us in the final five minutes of overtime, scoring 19 points.”

Of her game saver, Kramer alluded to not having a great shooting while her teammates still had confidence in her to take the shot.

Lehigh (9-9, 5-2 Patriot League) has turned things around of late, winning four-of-five.

Kramer scored 10 points in the fourth quarter and 16 of her 21 points after halftime against the Greyhounds (7-11, 2-5).

Frannie Hottinger had 15 points and Lily Fandre had 11 points and a personal best six assists.

Lehigh goes to traveling partner Lafayette at the Kirby Sports Center in Easton, Pa., on Saturday at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.

The Leopards in their annual School Day game Wednesday morning edged visiting American University 59-57, in the league, Makayla Andrews on the line with one second to gain her 19th point.

American ‘s last chance got negated when Halee Smith, who had nine points, stole the pass by the Eagles (3-15, 2-5 Patriot) for Lafayette (5-12, 2-5).

Abby Antognoli had 12 points for the Leopards. 

American’s Emily Johns had 15 points, Molly Lavin scored 11, and Anna LeMaster scored 10.

Nationally noted: No. 25 Texas, after getting back into the rankings, fell to host Texas Tech 68-64 in the Big 12, while No. 6 Indiana beat host No. 21 Illinois 83-72,  and No. 10 Iowa in overtime beat host Michigan State in the Big Ten, 84-81.

In the Big East, St. John’s recovered from last Saturday’s meltdown at Villanova to beat visiting Marquette 66-61 at Carneseca Arena in Queens, N.Y.

Jordan King had 27 points and Chloe Marotta scored 24 for Marquette (11-7, 4-5 Big East), while Jayla Everett and Kadaja Bailey each scored 18 for the Red Storm (15-3, 6-3).

DePaul’s struggles continued, losing at Georgetown 87-73 at McDonough Arena in the nation’s capital despite Darrione Rogers scoring 22 points and Aneesah Morrow getting 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Blue Demons (11-8, 4-4 Big East) in the loss to the Hoyas (9-9, 2-7).

In the Iowa game at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich., Monika Czinano broke a school record for the Hawkeyes (15-4, 7-1 Big Ten), shooting 11-for-11 to score 22 points while Caitlin Clarke, trailing Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist and Drexel’s Keishana Washington for the NCAA scoring lead, had 26 points and 11 rebounds, scoring in double digits an NCAA best 71 straight games. 

Michigan State fell to 10-9 and 2-6 in the conference.

In the loss by Texas (13-6, 4-2 Big 12) at the Longhorns’ Moody Center in Austin, Shaylee Gonzales had 10 points for the home team as the visiting Red Raiders improved to 15-4 overall and 3-3 in the conference. Sonya Morris scored 17 points and Rori Harmon scored 12 with Texas next headed for Baylor Sunday.

Genesis Bryant had 18 points, while Kendall Bostic had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Illini (15-4, 4-3 Big Ten).

Indiana (17-1, 7-1) had 30 points and 10 rebounds from Mackenzie Holmes, Grace Berger scored 18, Chloe Moore-McNeil scored 12, and Yarden Garzon, the reigning USBWA national freshman of the week, scored 13.

Looking Ahead: On Thursday, Rider heads to Iona in New Rochelle, N.Y., in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference for a 6 p.m. tip on ESPN3, while Rutgers hosts Michigan in Jersey Mike’s Arena at 8:30 p.m. in Piscataway, N.J., on the B1G Network.

Nationally, Duke takes its unbeaten Atlantic Coast Conference record to nearby North Carolina in Chapel Hill at 8 p.m. on the ACCN, while LSU, one of three remaining unbeaten teams, hosts Arkansas at 9 p.m. on SECN. 

And that’s the report.