Jan. 17, 2009
Box Score
PHILADELPHIA - Jamie Walsh's three pointer with one second left capped a remarkable comeback for La Salle Women's Basketball - down by as many as 16 in the second half - and forced overtime. However the Billikens, behind a Tom Gola Arena and Saint Louis single-game record of 37 points from Theresa Lisch, pulled out the win, 77-73, Saturday afternoon in Atlantic 10 Conference action.
Walsh scored a team-high 24 points - which included a career-high six three-point baskets and 21 points after the break - to lead La Salle, while Morgan Robertson notched her eighth double-double of the year with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and Margaret Elderton added nine points and a game-high and career-high tying eight assists.
Down 13 at the half, and 16 (54-38) with 9:42 left in the second half after an Alisha Goodwin jumper, the Explorers mounted a comeback that appeared would come up short. Nadia Duncan, who came off the bench to score a season-high 10 points with three assists, started a 13-0 run for La Salle over a three-minute span.
She hit a pair of free throws, which was followed by a Jenna Gilbert layup - who also put up good numbers off the pine - five points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists. Then a trio of three pointers by Walsh, Elderton, and Ashley Gale brought La Salle to within three at 54-51 with 6:18 remaining.
However, it looked as if the Billikens weathered the storm as Lisch scored six straight points - with a four-point play and 17-foot jumper - to push her team's lead back to nine with 4:55 left in regulation.
The Explorers - though - had another run in them, which was again started by Duncan, who scored on a driving layup to ignite an 11-0 run to give La Salle its first lead since two minutes into the game. A free throw by Duncan made it a six-point deficit and Walsh cut that in half with a three with 3:07 remaining.
Using a full-court press, La Salle forced a turnover - Elderton stole a pass and drove in for a layup to make it a one-point game, and after another Billiken turnover, Walsh nailed another three to put La Salle up 62-60 at the 2:23 mark of the second half.
Saint Louis (8-10, 2-1 A-10) answered right back with a Lisch three to put her team up one with 2:04 left and four made Billiken foul shots later, leading 67-62 with just 22 ticks left, the game looked all but over.
But La Salle had one more run left, as Elderton scored on a layup eight seconds later to make it a three-point game. They then fouled Amanda Kemezys - Saint Louis' second-best free throw shooter - who went to the line for a one-and-one with 12 seconds left.
She missed the first, Robertson pulled down the rebound, and La Salle set up for the last shot - a three by Walsh, her sixth of the game, which tied the game at 67-all and sent the contest.
La Salle scored the first basket of overtime - a Duncan baseline drive and layup - which was followed by Kemezys hitting a pair of free throws, making up for her miss moments before, which got her into double figures - 10 points, seven boards.
Duncan would give the Explorers a two-point lead with 3:12 left, but Lisch hit her sixth three-pointer of the game to put Saint Louis up one, 72-71.
Robertson answered on the other end with a layup and Heather King tied the game at 73-all with 1:08 left after converting just one of her two free throws. Lisch, who scored 18 of the Billikens last 23 points, hit a jumper with 15 seconds left and made two free throws after La Salle could not convert on its final possession of the game.
Gale added six rebounds, five points, two assists and two blocks for the Explorers, and Tara Lapetina hit two of La Salle's 11 threes in the game for six points and also had two assists, as the team had a season-high 19 in the contest.
La Salle (9-9, 0-3 A-10) faces Temple in A-10 and Big 5 action on Wednesday at the Liacouras Center on Wednesday at 7 PM.
Additional Notes: La Salle is now 0-3 in A-10 play for only the second time in its 14-year history in the conference (2001-02)...Morgan Robertson's eighth double-double of the season is now tied for the most by an Explorer this decade - Crista Ricketts also had eight during the 2006-07 season...The last time Saint Louis played La Salle at Tom Gola Arena, the game went overtime with the Explorers winning 75-66...Jamie Walsh has now hit 113 threes - eighth all-time at the school, has attempted 301 (also eighth), and her 37.5% career mark is tied for eighth...La Salle is averaging 6.61 threes per game and is on pace to hit 192, which would shatter the team record of 166 during the 2005-06 season...With the overtime loss, La Salle drops its first OT game since Jan. 8, 2006.
