Nov. 9, 2007

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - La Salle University Women's Basketball senior Carlene Hightower registered her 10th double-double of her career; however it was Villanova's Stacie Witman who scored a game-high 31 points to help the Wildcats to a 64-58 victory over the Explorers at Tom Gola Arena, Friday afternoon in Big 5 action.

 

Looking to win back-to-back games over Villanova for only the second time in school history, La Salle jumped out to an early seven-point lead eight minutes into the game. Hightower scored seven of the Explorers' nine points, and when sophomore Jamie Walsh hit a jumper with 11:41 left in the first, La Salle led 13-6.

 

A 9-0 run over the next two minutes turned the Wildcats' seven-point deficit into a two-point lead thanks to a trio of three-point plays. Maria Getty and Tia Grant hit back-to-back three-point baskets, and then Witman finished the run with an old-fashion three - a lay-up followed by a made free throw.

 

La Salle responded with an 8-3 run of its own to take its last lead of the game at 21-18. Walsh hit a three, followed by a Hightower basket and senior Alyse Hoover's three with 6:14 left before the break gave the Explorers lead.

 

Villanova (1-0, 1-0 Big 5) then went on a 26-6 run over the next 10 minutes - spanning the intermission. They closed out the first half on a 17-6 run - one point shy of what they scored in the games' first 14 minutes. Then, out of the break, they tallied nine straight to open a 44-27 advantage with 16:33 left in the game.

 

The Explorers slowly chipped away at the Wildcat lead with back-to-back baskets by junior Margaret Elderton and two Hightower free throws cut the deficit to 11 with 13:49 remaining. However, they could not get it under double figures and when Villanova's Siobhan O'Conner hit a three with 9:04 left, they lead was 14.

 

Over the next seven minutes, La Salle held Villanova scoreless and rattled off 12 points to get to within a basket. The run included three converted foul shots by sophomore Morgan Robertson, two from senior Melanie Gibbons, a Walsh three, an Elderton driving lay-up, and with 1:46 left, Gibbons hit a 10-foot baseline jumper to make it 54-52.

 

Witman would ice the game, though, for the Wildcats, draining back-to-back three pointers pushing the Villanova lead back to eight, and then hit 4-of-4 free throws in the game's final 21 seconds to secure the victory. She was 6-for-6 from the line in the game, hit five three-point baskets, and added a team-high seven boards.

 

Hightower scored her 20 on 7-of-13 shooting, added 13 rebounds - one of her career-high - and had three steals. Walsh finished the night with 10 points, while Robertson had eight points, four rebounds, Gibbons had six points, seven boards, and in their first games for the Explorers - Elderton had six and freshman Shelly Szmyt added five.