PHILADELPHIA – A late run by La Salle (12-8, 5-3 A-10) proved too much for Saint Joseph's women's basketball (6-13, 2-5 A-10) Wednesday night, as the Explorers defeated the Hawks, 66-58, inside Tom Gola Arena.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- La Salle tallied the first five points of the game before the Hawks score four straight up to the 7:45 mark. SJU took a 5-4 spurt over the next 1:21 to tie the game at nine apiece before the home team took the next six for a 15-9 score at the media break with 4:25 left. St. Joe's finished the period with a 9-2 run for an 18-17 lead.
- It was a defensive battle over the initial five minutes of the second stanza with each team recording two points. The Hawks were up 20-19 with 5:00 remaining. La Salle rallied and had a 9-2 spurt over the final 5:00 to lead 28-22 at the half.
- St. Joe's ripped off a 6-0 run over the opening 2:04 of the third period to tie the game at 28 apiece. The Hawks took 10 of the next 19 points, including the last four into the media stoppage at 4:24 to hold a 38-37. The final 3:12 saw the Explorers pull back ahead with an 8-2 run for a 47-40 lead after three.
- La Salle took the first two points of the final stanza before a 9-0 run for St. Joe's over the next 1:48 brought the game to a tie at 49 each. The home team capped the game with a 17-9 advantage to claim victory.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE:
- St. Joe's shot 38.5% (25-of-52) from the field, 25.0% (3-of-12) from deep, and a season best 93.8% (15-of-16) from the line.
- La Salle tallied 48.1% (25-of-52) overall, 29.2% (7-of-24) from long range, and 81.8% (9-of-11) from the stripe.
- The Hawks won the rebounding margin (+9), but lost the turnover battle (-7).
- Rookie Laila Fair led the Hawks with 19 points on an 8-of-11 outing. She added five rebounds and two steals to her totals.
- Graduate student Katie Jekot and freshman Mackenzie Smith each had 12 points, with Smith adding a team best eight rebounds to tie her career high.
- First year Talya Brugler tallied eight points and seven rebounds.
UP NEXT:
It will be a quick turnaround for the Hawks as they head to Davidson for a Friday matchup at noon.