Nov. 29, 2009
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PHILADELPHIA - Despite a career-high 20 points and eight rebounds from Nadia Duncan, La Salle Women's Basketball could not hold on to its early 13-point advantage and fell to the visiting Lehigh Mountain Hawks, 58-47, in non-conference action at Tom Gola Arena Sunday afternoon.
Duncan hit 5-of-6 shots from the floor and was 10-for-12 from the free throw line to account for her career afternoon. Her previous highs were 12 points, scored in the season opener against Loyola (MD), and five rebounds, two times.
Duncan added a steal in her career-high 28 minutes played and became the first Explorer to come off the bench and score 20 points since Ashley Gale had 27 in a reserve role against Quinnipiac on Dec. 8, 2007.
The teams traded the lead seven times through the game's first 10 minutes, and with La Salle trailing 10-9, Duncan scored her first points - on an offensive rebound and lay-up to put her team up at the 10:22 mark of the first.
After two Lehigh free throws, Duncan scored six straight points, including four free throws and when Tara Lapetina made two foul shots with 8:05 left before the half, the Explorers held a 19-12 lead.
Jamie Walsh responded to the Mountain Hawks' first basket in three minutes with a three pointer and Duncan scored five more to end a La Salle 8-0 run pushing La Salle in front by 13 at 27-14 with 2:10 remaining in the half.
Lehigh used a 6-2 run - all six points scored by Erica Prosser, the only Mountain Hawk in double figures with 17 - to cut their deficit to single digits by the break.
In last year's meeting between the two schools, La Salle held an 11-point edge at the break, and like last year, the Mountain Hawks were able to erase that and earn the win in the second half.
Lehigh (5-1) scored seven straight out of the locker room, but still found itself down five (35-30) after Morgan Robertson scored on a lay-up with 14:10 remaining in the game.
Robertson ended with 10 points and seven rebounds, while Walsh had eight points and five rebounds.
The Mountain Hawks rattled off 15 straight over the next six minutes to take a 10-point lead with Prosser scoring seven in the span. Kristen Dalton, who had eight points, five rebounds, and three assists off the bench, tallied four in the run.
La Salle (1-5) would get back to as close as five with 5:36 left after Duncan scored on a jumper, which was followed by Prosser and Duncan trading a pair of made free throws.
Trailing 49-44 with 5:04 left, the Explorers would score just three points - a Walsh three just before the buzzer - the rest of the way, and fall to the Mountain Hawks.
The team returns to the court after just one day off, hosting Georgetown at Tom Gola Arena, Tuesday night at 7 PM.
