ST. BONAVENTURE (9-8, 1-5 A-10) vs. LA SALLE (11-6, 4-1 A-10)
Wednesday, Jan. 26 – 5:00 p.m.
St. Bonaventure, N.Y. – Reilly Center
TV: ESPN+

The St. Bonaventure University women's basketball team returns home to host La Salle Wednesday, Jan. 26 at the Reilly Center. Tip is slated for 5:00 p.m.

Kids 12 and under receive free admission into Wednesday's game.

OPENING TIP

• The Bonnies are coming off their first Atlantic 10 win of the season Sunday afternoon against George Mason, 81-74. Bona's shot 51 percent (25-for-49) from the floor and made a season-high 27 free throws.
• Asianae Johnson led the Bonnies with 21 points and seven rebounds while I'yanna Lops registered her second double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 boards. Tori Harris also finished in double figures for the Bonnies, pouring in a season-high 19 points.
• Bona's shot 75 percent (6-of-8) from the field and 82 percent (14-for-17) from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter to close out the win against the Patriots.
• Johnson is now averaging 19.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per contest in five conference games this season.

JOHNSON JOLTING THE OFFENSE

• Senior Asianae Johnson has taken another leap forward in her offensive game this season. The 5-8 guard leads the Bonnies and ranks fifth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring, averaging 17.1 points per game. Johnson continues to improve each season after averaging 13.5 points per contest in 2020-21 which was nearly a one-point improvement from her sophomore campaign in the 2019-20 season.
• The Brooklyn native has had a recent run of four straight 20-point outings. Johnson scored 20 points against Davidson (Jan. 12) and followed that by pouring in a career-high 28 points at Saint Louis (Jan. 19). She went off for a team-high 24 points in last Friday's matchup against Saint Joseph's and then led the Bonnies to victory with 21 points over the Patriots Sunday. She is the first Bonnies player to score 20 or more points in four straight games since Mariah Ruff did it during the 2017-18 season, scoring 31, 24, 24 and 30 during a four-game stretch.
• Johnson is one of the most efficient scorers in the A-10 as she ranks fifth overall and first among conference guards in field goal percentage, hitting 44.5 percent of her shots. She also ranks second in the A-10 in made free throws (60) and free throw percentage (75.9 percent).

LOPS IN ELITE COMPANY

• I'yanna Lops' ability to alter shots at the rim have put her in elite company in Bonnies program history. Her 30 blocks this season is tied for eighth all-time for a single season with Katie Healy, who rejected 30 shots during the 2012-13 season. Healy went on to block a program record 155 shots during her four-year career. Lops enters Wednesday only needing one block to move into a tie for seventh place with Lisa Vizzoca '96.
• Lops ranks fourth in the A-10 with 40 blocks and her 1.8 swats per game is also fourth. As a team, the Bonnies rank second in blocks (72) and blocks per game (4.2).

SERIES HISTORY

• St. Bonaventure and La Salle are slated to meet for the 34^th time Wednesday evening. The Explorers lead the all-time series over the Bonnies, 18-15, winning seven out of the last eight meetings between the schools. The Bonnies and the Explorers split last year's season series with each team winning at home. The Bonnies came away with a 65-60 victory over the Explorers at the Reilly Center Jan. 15, 2021. The Explorers returned the favor later in the season, defeating the Bonnies 77-51 at Tom Gola Arena.
• The Bonnies are 9-5 all-time against the Explorers at the Reilly Center.

SCOUTING THE EXPLORERS

• La Salle enters Wednesday's contest with an 11-6 overall record and are 4-1 in Atlantic 10 play. The Explorers were picked to finished eighth in this year's A-10 preseason poll and have earned conference wins over Richmond (77-57), George Mason (63-53), Saint Joseph's (69-65) and Fordham (71-62). La Salle's lone A-10 loss this season was to preseason favorite Dayton, 65-57, Jan. 12.
• The Explorers are coached by Mountain MacGillivray who is in his fourth season at the helm of the women's basketball team. He currently owns a 42-62 record in his three-plus seasons as head coach of the Explorers.
• La Salle is led by Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference Second Team forward Kayla Spruill who is averaging 14.9 points per game, starting in all 17 contests for the Explorers. Gabby Crawford and Claire Jacobs also average double figures for La Salle with Crawford tallying 13.7 points per contest and Jacobs chipping in 11.2 per game.

UP NEXT

• The Bonnies head back out on the road Saturday, Jan. 29 when they travel to take on Fordham. Tip is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Per Fordham's COVID-19 health and safety protocols, no fans will be permitted at Saturday's contest.

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