PHILADELPHIA, PA - The three La Salle University Basketball players honored by the Atlantic 10 this week with postseason honors all hit for double figures, however it was not enough to help the Explores continue their season as they fell to Richmond, 60-53, Friday afternoon at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse on the campus of Saint Joseph's University in the first round of the A-10 Tournament.

 

Senior Davineia Payne (Bear, DE/Caravel Academy), playing in her last game in the Blue and Gold and sophomore Carlene Hightower (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Prendergast) both recorded double-doubles, while junior Crista Ricketts (Douglasville, PA/Daniel Boone) scored a team-high 15 points. Payne had 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds and Hightower scored 11 and grabbed 10 boards.

 

Richmond used a balanced attack as five players scored at least eight points led by Ania Grabias's double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds).

 

La Salle (11-17) jumped out to a quick eight-point lead, as both Payne and Ricketts converted and-ones and after Hightower scored at the 18:10 mark of the first half, the Explorers led 8-0.

 

The Spiders answered right back and tied the game on a Sarah Williams' three-point basket and then took their first lead of the game after an Araceli Gil three pointer with 15:18 remaining in the first half. They pushed their advantage to as many as 11 points in the first and took a 34-26 lead into the locker room.

 

The Explorers could only manage eight made field goals (8-24) and missed all eight of their three-point attempts in the first half. Their foul shooting kept them within reach of the Spiders, as they converted 10-of-12 from the charity stripe in the first.

 

La Salle started the second half much like the first, quickly cutting the Richmond lead to one point. Two baskets by Ricketts and then a three pointer by Hightower capped an Explorer 7-0 run and with 16:36, they trailed 34-33.

 

Richmond (13-16) answered with a three pointer by Grabias to push its lead back to four. It appeared that junior Jenna Graber (Clarksburg, NJ/Peddie School) had brought La Salle to within one again, but her three pointer rolled out of the basket, and Saona Chapman hit one on the other end and before long, the Spider lead was back to double figures (48-37) with under nine minutes to play.

 

As they have in the past two games, the Explorers still had one more run in them to get back in the basketball game. Payne converted to free throws and Graber connected on a pair of three-point baskets. Hightower's lay-up with 4:37 capped a 10-2 Explorer spurt that had the deficit back to three at 50-47.

 

The Explorers had two chances to get the score even closer but back-to-back turnovers and a Gil three pointer would give them a six-point lead and La Salle would never get closer than four the rest of the way.

 

La Salle actually outrebounded the Spiders 40-36, and 9-7 on the offensive glass. However, Richmond managed 11 second-chance points to La Salle's two. Also, the Explorers, who this year set a team record for three pointers made in a season, only hit on 3-of-17 for the game, while Richmond made 7-of-19.

 

Also playing in her final game for the Explorers was senior Shaune McLaughlin (Somers Point, NJ/Mainland Regional), who had six points, four rebounds, three assists and scored the game's final points.