Nov. 12, 2010
Box Score
VILLANOVA, PA - La Salle Women's Basketball opened its 2010-11 season under first-year Head Coach Jeff Williams with a 57-42 loss to the Villanova Wildcats on Friday afternoon in Philadelphia Big 5 action at The Pavilion.
Ebonee Jones led La Salle with 12 points, had four boards and a game-high three steals, while in their Explorer debuts Alexis Scott added 11 points, six boards, Jess Koci had a team-high seven boards with five points, and Michea Bryant handed out a team-high four assists.
Villanova (1-0, 1-0 Big 5) came out of the locker rooms firing, hitting its first three three-point baskets and going 6-for-8 from behind the arc through the games first four minutes. The last of the six shots was Lindsay Kimmel's third at the 16:03 mark which put the Wildcats up 18-5. She finished the game with five threes and a game-high 15 points.
The Explorers responded with seven unanswered points to pull to within six, as Koci knocked down a foul shot and La Salle hit back-to-back threes by Jones and Scott to pull to 18-12 at the 13:18 mark of the first.
The Wildcats scored eight straight, six on a pair of threes by Sarah Jones, who ended with 11 points, and when Rachel Roberts scored on a lay-up at the 8:08 mark, it gave the Wildcats a 26-12 lead and their first non-three-point basket.
Scott would hit a pair of free throws, which was the Explorers friend for most of the evening, and Jones hit another three to bring the deficit under double figures. However, Villanova closed the first on a 5-2 run and opened the second with a 10-2 stretch to push its lead to 19 and its lead would be double figures the rest of the way.
La Salle (0-1, 0-1 Big 5) connected on 13-of-15 from the foul line, including 10--for-11 in the second half. Villanova only shot a pair of free throws through 35 minutes, but knocked down 5-of-6 over the last five minutes to secure the game.
Bryant played just 19 minutes, but managed to tie for game-high in assists and added three rebounds. Ashley Gale added seven points, three boards and two steals off the bench for La Salle and Nadia Duncan pulled down five boards.
It has been awhile since any La Salle freshman did what Koci or Bryant did in a season opener. The last time an Explorer freshman had at least seven rebounds in a season opener was Crista Ricketts with 11 versus Texas A&M (11/22/03). Meanwhile, the last freshman with at least four assists in a season opener was Mandy Dubbs versus Delaware State (11/21/98).
The Explorers are next in action when they travel to Baltimore to take on Loyola (MD), Sunday with tip time scheduled for 5 PM.
