Dec. 29, 2008
Box Score
BETHLEHEM, PA - La Salle Women's Basketball rebounded from a nine-point halftime deficit to register a 67-62 victory over Valparaiso in the first game of the Christmas City Classic at Stabler Arena on the campus of Lehigh University to extend its winning streak to four.
With the win, the Explorers advance to the Championship game against the host Mountain Hawks - a 67-47 victor over North Florida in the nightcap - on Tuesday night starting at 7:30 PM.
La Salle had four players reach double figures led by Margaret Elderton's 18 points, followed by Morgan Robertson with 15, Ashley Gale with 14, and Jamie Walsh with 13.
Down 29-20, the Explorers slowly chipped away using three-point plays. First, Robertson knocked down her first of the season - then after the Crusaders pushed their lead back to nine, Gale hit a three and used a three-point play - with a steal, a fast-break layup, and a free throw - to cut the deficit to three.
Valparaiso (4-5) scored five quick points to make it an eight-point game, but again, back came the Explorers with a 12-2 run. Back-to-back threes by Walsh and Tara Lapetina made it a two-point game. Then after Lauren Kenney scored on a layup, six straight free throws gave La Salle its first lead since early in the first at 41-39 with 12:17 left in the game.
The teams traded the lead for the next four minutes, before a 9-2 La Salle run pushed its lead to five - 55-50 - after a Robertson bucket with 3:41 left.
Down the stretch, the Explorers answered Crusader baskets with their own, as Walsh and Gale each connected on threes, but with 29 seconds left, they still only led by three - 63-60 - after Kenney's 22nd point of the night.
La Salle knocked down four straight free throws in the final 19 seconds to secure the win. They went 14-of-15 from the line in the second half and hit 18-of-20 from the line in the game.
The Explorers opened up the game by taking their largest lead of the contest at 10-2. After the team's traded baskets, an 8-0 La Salle run started by a Robertson field goal and continued by back-to-back threes by Walsh and Elderton just five minutes in put them up eight.
The Crusaders answered with their own run of 14 straight points started by a steal and fast-break layup by Agnieszka Kulaga and ended by Kenney with just less than eight minutes to play in the half to put them ahead 16-10.
Elderton ended the Explorer scoring drought that reached almost nine minutes, but another run by Valparaiso - this time nine straight with Kenney scoring seven in the span - put the Crusaders up 13 with 3:49 left before the break.
La Salle (8-5) was able to cut its deficit to nine before the half with Robertson sinking four free throws and Walsh and Elderton knocking down field goals - the last with three ticks left before intermission - to get the deficit back under double figures.
The Crusaders used 11 offensive rebounds in the first half to score 12 second chance points, but La Salle held them to just four after the break and three second-half points.
With the win, La Salle wins its fourth straight for the first time since it opened the 2006-07 season with seven victories out of the gate. They are also now 4-0 when four players hit double figures.
