Nov. 28, 2010
Box Score
PHILADELPHIA - Ashley Gale scored a game-high 17 points, and La Salle Women's Basketball held Delaware's high-scorer Elena Della Donne to zero points (in six minutes), however the Blue Hens hit 25-of-33 from the foul line in their 59-48 win at Tom Gola Arena, Sunday.
Gale was one of three Explorers in double figures, while she also led La Salle with three assists and had three steals as well. The other two were Nadia Duncan, with 13 points and a game-high four steals, and Ebonee Jones, 10 points and six rebounds off the bench. Jess Koci added nine rebounds and five points, while Chelsea Conner had six boards.
Delaware (5-0) was four players with at least 10 points, led by Danielle Parker, who had a double-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds. Lauren Carra chipped in with 14 points, Jocelyn Bailey added 11 points, five rebounds, and Sarah Acker had 10 points, eight rebounds and six blocks.
Neither side shot well in the first half, as La Salle's 24.0% bettered the Blue Hens 23.5%. Delaware did however make all 11 of its free throws and held a seven point lead through the game's first 20 minutes.
Della Donne, who played the first six minutes, was 0-for-3 with a turnover, a steal and a block, left the game at the 14:06 mark and never returned. Her team led 8-7 at that point and slowly increased their advantage to 13 over a 10-minute span.
Duncan would convert an old-fashioned three to cut the Explorer deficit to 26-10 at the four-minute mark, and Gale followed with one of her five three-point baskets on the day to make it a seven-point game. Her two free throws just before the break again cut it to seven heading into the locker rooms.
La Salle (2-4) scored the first basket of the second half - Duncan hit a jumper 14 seconds into the period - to make it 28-23, but an 18-2 run over the next nine minutes put the Blue Hens ahead by 21 (46-25).
The Explorers slowly chipped away at their deficit, holding Delaware to six points for almost seven minutes while they got the lead back to seven. A Duncan three-point play followed by back-to-back Gale and Jones threes made it 46-34 with under nine minutes to play.
With 3:40 left in the game, Gale hit her fourth three of the afternoon to make it 52-47, but the Blue Hens scored five straight, all from the foul line, to push their lead back to double figures with less than a minute remaining.
In the second, Delaware improved its shooting to 57.1% and made 14 free throws, while La Salle made just 25.7% of its shots in the second and 11 foul shots for the game.
The Explorers did however grab 15 offensive rebounds, marking the fifth straight game they have pulled down double figures in o-boards for the first time since Nov. 19-Nov 29, 2008.
Koci, who was one rebound shy of double figures, is tied for second in the conference with two 10-rebound games. Entering the game she is sixth in overall rebounds, and second in o-boards as she pulled down five more Sunday.
Gale has now hit 16 threes this season, one shy of the top spot in the A-10, and has two games now in which she has hit at least five, tying for the most in the league.
La Salle will take the week off before hosting Tulsa next Sunday, Dec. 5 at Tom Gola Arena at 1 PM.
