Feb. 6, 2008

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - Margaret Elderton scored 21 of her career-high 32 points in the second half, but the La Salle Women's Basketball team could not halt a late rally by Massachusetts on Wednesday evening, falling 66-63, at Tom Gola Arena. Carlene Hightower added 22 points for the Explorers, who dropped to 9-14 overall and 1-7 in the Atlantic 10.

The Explorers got off to a fast start, thanks to the outside shooting of their guards. Elderton drained a three on La Salle's first possession, which was followed by three consecutive shots from beyond the arc by Hightower, giving the Blue and Gold a 12-0 advantage early on.

UMass stormed back however, rattling off 10-straight to come to within two points. Down by six late in the first half, the Minutewomen went on an 8-0 run, grabbing their first lead after Pam Rosanio converted a three-point play.

The Explorers regained the lead on a Hightower jumper, and appeared to be heading into the half with a one-point edge. However, Elderton drained a half-court shot just before the buzzer to give the Explorers a 32-28 lead at the break.

Hightower led all scorers with 17 points in the opening period. On the defensive end, La Salle held UMass' Kate Mills to just two points in the first 20 minutes. The senior forward came into tonight's game averaging 17.9 per game, second best in the A-10.

Elderton took over in the second half, helping extend the Explorer lead to seven, their largest since the opening minutes of the game. The junior guard scored 13 of the team's first 16 points of the period.

The Explorers quickly coughed up the lead though, as an 8-0 UMass run put them ahead. La Salle had no answer for UMass on the glass, as the Minutewomen grabbed four offensive rebounds on one possession, leading to a Stefanie Gerardot three pointer to cut the lead to two. UMass forced three Explorer turnovers during the run.

Elderton kept La Salle in the game, thanks to her proficiency from the stripe. She sank 10 consecutive free throws down the stretch, helping the Explorers take the lead once again.

However, Mills was too strong down low, scoring 15 second-half points. Her jumper with 38 seconds to play gave the Minutewomen the lead for good. Sakera Young sank two free throws with 23 seconds left to ice the game for UMass (11-11, 3-4 A-10).

Massachusetts was led by Rosanio with 19 points, while Mills added 17. Young added eight and a game-high seven assists.

Jamie Walsh chipped in with seven points and three assists for La Salle, while Danielle Mickiewicz tied a career-high with five rebounds and blocked three shots in nine minutes of play.

Elderton's 32 points were the most ever scored by an Explorer at Tom Gola Arena and is a season-high for an A-10 player in conference action. The total is also one shy of the arena record of 33, set last season by Fordham's Lisa Carroll on January 9, 2007.

The Explorers will look to snap a five-game losing streak when they travel to Saint Louis this Sunday with a tip slated for 3 PM EST.