Nov. 28, 2008
Box Score
MORAGA, CA - Morgan Robertson registered her third double-double of the season but La Salle Women's Basketball lost to the host St. Mary's (CA) Gaels, 61-55, in the nightcap of the opening day of the Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic on Friday night.
Robertson scored a game-high 17 points and added a game and career-high 13 rebounds, while Ashley Gale added 12 points and three steals and Jamie Walsh had 11 points and four boards.
St. Mary's (CA) opened the game with a 14-5 run started on a three pointer by Amber Coatney and after Maija Lahde scored on a lay-up at the 12:30 mark, the Gaels held their largest lead of the first at nine.
The Explorers had to play catch-up the rest of the half and finally did pull even with an 8-0 run capped on a steal, fast-break lay-up and free throw by Gale with 7:13 left before the break.
After the teams traded baskets, the Gaels scored five straight points to recapture the lead and then closed out the half with an 8-2 run to take a 33-26 lead into the locker room.
The Gaels (1-5) quickly increased their lead into double figures with a 6-2 run to start the second half, and after Ashlee Smith's lay-up with 13:27 left in the game, they were up 11 at 43-32.
La Salle responded with an 8-2 run to close to within five, with Gale scoring four in the span and when Robertson hit a 10-footer in the lane, the Explorers trailed 45-40 with 9:14 to play.
Lahde then scored six straight points to cap a St. Mary's (CA) 8-0 to give her team its largest lead of the night at 13, 53-40.
But again, back came the Explorers, whittling their deficit back to five with their own 8-0 run with Robertson scoring six of her points in the span. Another 10-footer with 3:19 left in regulation pulled La Salle to within 53-48.
Six straight Gael points over the next two minutes pushed their lead back to double figures and the Explorers would not get closer than the final score.
Of note, the Explorers were without the services of Margaret Elderton, who suffered a concussion in the first half of the Miami (OH) contest.
La Salle (3-3) is next in action Saturday in the first game of the final day of the Classic, playing Radford, who lost to Indiana on Friday, 74-47, at 8 PM EST.
