Kayla Spruill’s record-setting effort helps La Salle snap skid, beat Duquense

La Salle pulled away from Duquesne midway through the third quarter Sunday afternoon to cruise to a 72-56 victory.

While Duquesne (15-10, 5-7 Atlantic 10) kept it close through the third quarter, La Salle’s 52.6% three-point shooting in the second half helped it build as much as a 20-point lead and snap their three-game skid.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen the ball go in the basket for us,” La Salle head coach Mountain MacGillivray said.

Standouts for the Explorers (15-11, 6-5) included Molly Masciantonio, who contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Masciantonio leads the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, and only turned over the ball a single time against the Dukes. Freshman forward Mia Jacobs also added 12 points and eight boards.

“When the ball goes in, I feel like everyone takes a breather,” Masciantonio said. “Today I was telling the team, ‘Defense leads to offense’ Keep up our defensive parts, because we’ll see the ball go in.’”

Graduate student Kayla Spruill now owns La Salle’s record of career three-pointers made with 210, breaking the record of 208 previously set by Jamie Walsh in 2010.

“Kayla’s been a good player ever since she first got here, so it’s kind of nice that she got more recognition,” Mascantonio said. “She’s smooth for a reason; she puts the ball in the basket and we’re all very happy for her.”

» READ MORE: Kayla Spruill is making her mark, and inching close to leaving one, at La Salle

Spruill tied Walsh’s marker early in the second quarter. She later opened the scoring for La Salle in the third quarter with her second three of the game to put her name alone atop La Salle’s record books, and extended her total to 210 with another one later in the period.

Entering Sunday’s game, Spruill had gone relatively quiet from behind the arc with just three three-pointers in her last four games and a 13.6% three-point shooting percentage over that span. Against the Dukes, however, Spruill came alive, going 3-for-5 from long range and leading the Explorers with 13 points.

“She just wants to help us win,” MacGillivray said. “I’m super proud, but Kayla’s like, ‘I’m just doing my job.’”

While La Salle went into halftime with a three-point lead, the Explorers gave Duquesne ample opportunity to pull ahead by sending the Dukes to the line 18 times just in the first half. By contrast, La Salle went 2-for-4 in free-throw shooting in the same stretch. The Dukes’ poor free-throw shooting ultimately limited the damage on the scoreboard — Duquesne went just 8-for-18 from the line in the first half. The Dukes finished the game going 17-for-30.

That said, the Dukes’ edge in free-throw opportunities kept their deficit as low as one through the third quarter, even as La Salle held the advantage in most statistical categories. The Explorers had a 41% field-goal percentage to the Dukes’ 32.1%, and had 42 rebounds to Duquesne’s 34.

While the Dukes weren’t able to fully capitalize on La Salle’s lack of discipline, the Explorers’ gifting shots could be a cause for concern against a team shooting better at the line. Senior forward Gabby Crawford fouled out midway through the fourth quarter, while La Salle had two players in foul trouble with four personal fouls apiece and three more on the bubble with three.

The Explorers will host Fordham on Thursday for another A-10 showdown (11 a.m., ESPN+).