Feb. 22, 2007

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - Junior Carlene Hightower scored a career-high 31 points, while senior Crista Ricketts added 17 to lift the La Salle University Women's Basketball team to a 71-62 victory over Charlotte, Thursday night in Atlantic 10 action at Tom Gola Arena.

 

Hightower hit 11-of-16 shots from the floor and converted 9-of-11 free throws, as she also set the Explorer record for points scored in Tom Gola Arena. She added six rebounds, four steals and three assists to her totals. Ricketts was 8-of-12 from the floor, and also had six rebounds, two blocks and two assists.

 

But leading the Explorers in assists, and none bigger than the one with under a minute to go, was junior Meghan Ahl, who dished out a career-high seven assists - also tying the team-high for the season - and adding three rebounds and three points in a career-high 29 minutes played.

 

Charlotte (17-11, 8-5 A-10) had just pulled to within one at 63-62 after Ashley Spriggs hit a pair of free throws with 1:01 left in the contest and then overplayed Hightower, who had scored La Salle's previous five points.

 

Ahl, on the left side of the court, dribbled past her defender and into the lane. Just then, two 49ers converged on her and she was able to find senior Jenna Graber wide open along the right baseline. Ahl fired the ball to Graber who knocked down a three to give La Salle a four-point cushion with 44 seconds left.

 

The 49ers came back on the other end and appeared to cut the deficit to two, but Courtney Williams' lay-up attempt bounced out and was collected by Ricketts. She passed off to freshman Jamie Walsh, who was fouled and made good on her two free throws.

 

Two more missed field goals by the 49ers and three made foul shots by the Explorers, which included two by Hightower to give her the personal best, provided the final outcome.

 

Early on, the 49ers led by four - which was their largest lead of the game, thanks in part to Sabrina Gregory, who scored six of her team-high 19 points in the first seven minutes and after her basket at the 13:18 mark, they led 14-10.

 

La Salle then used an 11-2 run to take control of the game with baskets by five different Explorers, sparked by a Graber three-point basket. When Walsh hit a jumper at the 8:05 mark, La Salle was up 21-16.

 

The Explorers built their lead to as many as seven points after four straight points by Hightower and after she scored on another lay-up with 2:39 left before the half, it gave La Salle a 31-24 lead.

 

Charlotte rallied; using an 11-4 run that included the break, and tied the game at 35-all. They did it with a four-point trip down the court - an Aysha Jones bucket, a missed foul shot, an offensive board and put-back by Danielle Burgin.

  

La Salle responded with four straight points from Ricketts, and she actually scored the team's first 10 points out of the locker rooms. She put the Explorers up 39-35 with 15:24 left, and they just held the lead for the next five minutes.

 

However, the 49ers kept the game close and at the 10:22 mark took its first lead of the second half. Gregory raced out off a missed Explorer shot and scored on a driving lay-up and was fouled, which she converted to give Charlotte a 46-45 lead.

 

Neither team could shake the other as they traded the lead four times and the game was tied at 52-all after Wendy Stywalt scored on a lay-up with 6:41 remaining.

 

La Salle (18-10, 6-7 A-10) then used a 6-0 run over the next two minutes with a Hightower scoring four and junior Melanie Gibbons, who knocked down a shot as the shot clock was expiring.

 

Charlotte again cut the deficit back to one with five straight points, before Hightower made it a four-point game (61-57) with a basket and a free throw with 2:19 left.

 

To that point, the 49ers - who had hit a three pointer in 175 straight games, last failing against Duke, Jan. 29, 2001 - had not hit a three all night (0-8). But 21 seconds later, it was a one-point contest again.

 

Attacking the offensive glass all night - the 49ers had 23 - Gregory grabbed a Burgin missed shot and found Traci Ray at the top of the key for Charlotte's only three of the game.

 

La Salle went back to Hightower, who backed down her defender and hit a turnaround jumper with 1:30 left, putting the Explorers up 63-60. They did not allow another offensive board from that point on.

 

Despite turning the ball over 21 times, due to the 49ers aggressive defense, the Explorers were able to hit 61.4% of their shots, 68.4% in the second half, opposed to Charlotte's 33.3%.

 

La Salle will finish the regular season with a home game against Saint Louis, Sunday at 1 PM.