Jan. 7, 2008

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PHILADELPHIA - Senior Carlene Hightower scored a game-high 17 points to help the La Salle University Women's Basketball team to a 56-37 Philadelphia Big 5 victory over Penn Monday night at Tom Gola Arena.

 

Hightower scored the game's first three points on a hoop and a foul shot just three seconds in, then scored again in a 9-0 Explorer run which started the contest. The score was 11-2 after Melanie Gibbons scored two of her eight points on the night at the 15:46 mark.

 

Penn (3-10, 0-4 Big 5) responded with a 7-2 run started by a Carrie Biemer three-point basket to cut the deficit to four. Biemer was the only Quaker in double figures with 11 points, as no other player scored more than five.

 

La Salle limited Penn to 30.6% shooting for the night and held an opponent under 40 for the first time since a 68-32 victory at Providence, Dec. 22, 2004.

 

The Explorer lead was still four at 15-11 before Margaret Elderton knocked down three of her 10 points on the night which was followed by a Meghan Ahl jumper to push their advantage back to nine.

 

However, back-to-back baskets by the Quakers brought them back to within five at 20-15 with 6:28 left before the break. From that point until the 2:21 mark, neither team hit a shot from the floor, but La Salle did close out the half on a 7-1 run as they forced Penn into eight missed shots from the floor and four turnovers in that span.

 

Hightower scored the last four points of the half to push the Explorer lead to 11 at the break (27-16) a lead that - in the second half - would grow to as many as 21 and would never dip below double figures.

 

Jamie Walsh scored seven of her nine points in the second half's first five minutes as she pushed the Explorer lead to 18. She opened the half with a jumper, then scored five straight points to make it 39-21 with 15:16 remaining.

 

Hightower also tied for the game-high with four assists - with Morgan Robertson - while Gibbons grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Danielle Mickiewicz tied her career-high with six points and grabbed a career-high five boards.

 

La Salle, who is 17th in the country in fewest turnovers per game at 14.6, committed a team-low for the season nine and improved to 7-0 in night games with the victory.

 

Also, since Dec. 19, when injuries cut the Explorer roster to eight healthy players, they have won five of their last six games. They had just seven in this one, as a stomach illness sidelined Alyse Hoover.  

 

La Salle (8-7, 1-1 Big 5) is next in action when it opens up the Atlantic 10 slate at Richmond, Saturday, with a 2 PM tip.