The Guru NCAAW Report: Heartbreak for La Salle; Webber’s 30 Propels ‘Nova; Thursday Showdowns - A-10 Saint Joseph’s at Richmond; Big Ten No. 1 UCLA at No. 6 USC

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PHILADELPHIA – In a season with a roster overloaded with newcomers and strings of losses, La Salle coach Mountain MacGillivray has come into the postgame pressers with an upbeat approach night after night citing improvements and offering what needs more work.

But in this one Wednesday night after a bizarre sequence that resulted in a closing-seconds 61-58 victory in the Atlantic Ten by Fordham (13-11, 7-6) in the Explorers’ spanking renovated and re-named John E. Glaser Arena the look on MacGillivray’s face waiting for the session to begin signaled the first word of response – “Heartbreak.”

For a long stretch of the second half here with the Explorers (8-19, 2-12) opening a double digit lead, they were doing their share to an otherwise run of perfection that area women’s teams have been executing since Sunday afternoon on both sides of the NFL Eagles’ Super Bowl victory in New Orleans.

The fourth quarter began with a 48-38 lead on the Rams.

Five minutes later it still looked good at 54-45.

But several minutes later Fordham coach Bridgette Mitchell, a former Duke star who revitalized Northeastern in her first stint steering a program, began amping the press and speeding the pace, resulting in turnovers reducing the lead.

With 2:38 remaining Chae Harris, who had a game-high 22 points, including the 3-point  game-winner that was her fourth in six attempts, made both from the line to put the Rams up 56-55.

Jolene Armendariz missed a shot on the next possession for the home team, which got the offensive board and Joan Quinn then went 1-2 for another tie with 1:42 left.

Aryss Macktoon scored, giving La Salle the lead with 52 seconds left, then Fordham’s Kaila Berry tied it on a layup with 35 seconds to go.

Quinn then turned it over at 33 seconds but then Ashleigh Connor stole it back at 13 seconds whipped a pass to Macktoon, who threw it away to the hands of Berry who passed it over to Harris outside the arc with seven seconds, who then zipped it through the net.

As time ran out Mackenzie Daleba missed the tying attempt from deep.

 Macktoon was La Salle’s high scorer with a dubious double double of 15 points and 10 of the Explorers’ 29 turnovers which Fordham turned into 31 points.

Connor and Quinn each scored 10.

‘’Anytime you blow a big lead and we helped them out, twenty-nine turnovers the difference in the game,” MacGillivray said. “Credit to Chae Harris. I can’t believe she missed eight shots.

“(The loss is) Tough as it gets. Especially, you’re struggling every day and then you’re working hard and crawling out.”

He said, “panic” describes what happened when Fordham increased the defensive pressure.

In the museum of excruciating setbacks at the finish in the city, some coming to mind are Mike McLaughlin’s first year at Penn, the one-win Quakers with a 15-game losing streak on the last road trip of the season are about to stun Harvard, which hits a three with 1.3  seconds left, though redemption came 24 hours later in a win at Dartmouth.

Then the NCAA tourney opener in Raleigh, N.C., 10th seed Oregon with freshman Sabrina Ionescu goes up one on 7th seed Temple on Ruthy Hebard’s shot with five seconds left.

Feyonda Fitzgerald comes speeding the other way for a game-winning shot by the Owls and Hebard comes out of nowhere to block it.

Elena Delle Donne several times had closing shots to spoil Drexel upsets.

La Salle is at Rhode Island Saturday for a noon tip (ESPN+) in Kingston.

Another Patriot League Sweep by Lehigh and Lafayette

League leader Lehigh (20-4,11-1) won its ninth straight, winning 74-65 over Navy (15-8, 7-5) at home in Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pa., on a promotional Swifties and Swishes Night.

Taylor Swift is a native of the area.

“It feels great,” said Lehigh coach Addie Micir. “The team is playing so hard and they’re such a fun group.”

It’s the first time since 2018-19 the Mountain Hawks reached 20 wins.

Lily Fondre scored 17 points, Maddie Albrecht collected 16, Meghan O’Brien  scored 10 as did Colleen McQuillen. Ella Stemmer’s nine points brought her career mark to one short of 1,000.

Navy’s Zanai Barnett-Gay scored 26 for a game high.

On Saturday, Lehigh visits defending champion Holy Cross at 2 p.m. (ESPN+) in Worcester, Mass.

The Crusaders lost at Colgate 73-51.

Lafayette (7-16, 4-8) at home in the Kirby Sports Arena in Easton, Pa, got revenge for being the only victim of American (1-22, 1-11), beating the Eagles 72-55 as Teresa Kiewiet scored 27, Abby Antognoli scored 18, and Tasha Chudy scored 10 points.

On Saturday the Leopards go to Bucknell at 2 p.m. (ESPN+) in Lewisburg, Pa.

Villanova’s Webber Bedevils DePaul

Maddie Webber scored 14 of her career-high 30 points, including matching a personal best  five makes from deep, lifting Villanova to a 62-56 win at DePaul (12-15, 7-7) in a Big East game at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

Jasmine Bascoe had 10 points, five boards, and five assists while Denae Carter grabbed 13 boards for the Wildcats (14-11, 8-5), who have won 6 of their last 8.

Jorie Allen scored 23 points for DePaul and Kate Clarke scored 12.

Villanova hosts Xavier at Finneran Pavilion Sunday at 2 p.m.(FloSports).

The National Scene.

No. 7 UConn (23-3, 14-0) did not need much from freshman Sarah Strong in this one, scoring two points in four attempts over 22 points in a 78-40 blowout of visiting St. John’s (13-11, 3-10).

The sellout Huskies crowd at Gampel in Storrs was treated a fireworks show from Azzi Fudd, shooting 8-14 on threes for 34 points while Paige Bueckers scored 16 with six boards and four assists, and Aubrey Griffin scored 10 as Geno Auriemma’s NCAA record moved another tick at 1,236 victories, tops in all genders and divisions.

The Huskies now briefly leave the pedestrian waters of the conference for another deep dive against a national super power, visiting No. 4 South Carolina Sunday at 1 p.m. on ABC before a sellout crowd in Colonial Life Arena in Columbia.

In other results among ranked teams Wednesday, all romps, in the Big 12, No. 14 Kansas State on the road crushed Cincinnati 90-53 as Serena Sundell had 21 points and dished 10 assists while Taryn Sides had 17 points and a career-high 12 boards for the Wildcats followed (23-3, 11-2), and No. 20 Oklahoma State (20-4, 10-3) at home in Stillwater, thumped PAC-12 refugee Arizona 83-64 as Micah Gray scored 20 and Stailee Heard collected 17 from the desert Wildcats (15-11, 6-7).

In the Big Ten, No. 22 Michigan State (19-5, 9-4) at home in East Lansing whipped Wisconsin 91-71 as Grace VanSlooten scored 22 and Theryn Hallock scored 18 points.

American Athletic Conference favorite South Florida home in Tampa needed three overtimes to beat Rice 82-77 led by Sammie Pulsis with 17 points.

Looking Ahead

Peacock airs a national double header feature two long-awaited Super Bowl type matchups.

In the Atlantic 10, Saint Joseph’s visits defending champion Richmond in the Spiders’ Robins Center at 8 p.m. in a battle for first place. A win by the Hawks, whose Laura Ziegler scored 43 Sunday, for the moment gains the top seed in next month’s tournament. Word has yet to alert the go-ahead status on Talya Bruglar’s return following Monday’s doctor visit which if cleared would bring the visitors’ roster restored to total health.

Then the season-awaited battle of Big Ten newcomers bringing their Los Angeles rivalry to new conference digs as No. 6 Southern Cal in a sellout Galen Center hosts No. 1 UCLA at 10 p.m. visits  trying the knock the Bruins from their unbeaten perch atop the AP Poll and the conference.

UCLA has already announced a Pauley Pavilion sellout next month in Westwood.

The Big Ten also Thursday has two of the other three locals on the night’s slate – both needing wins to qualify for next month’s tournament as Penn State visits Illinois at 7 p.m., while Rutgers visits Iowa at 7 p.m.

Rider in a similar situation in the MAAC hosts Iona at 6 p.m. (ESPN+) in Alumni Gym in Lawrenceville, N.J.

In the ACC on the conference network, No. 2 Notre Dame is at Pitt at 8 p.m., preceded by No. 10 NC State hosting Miami at 6 p.m., and Syracuse visiting Stanford at 10  p.m.

In the SEC,, No. 8 Kentucky hosts No. 3 Texas at 7 p.m. on ESPN2; No. 4 South Carolina tunes up for Sunday’s Connecticut visit hosting Florida at 7 p.m. on the conference network; No. 15 Tennessee hosts Auburn at 6:30 p.m. on SECN+. Vanderbilt on the conference hosts Mississippi State at 9 p.m.

And that’s the report.