Feb. 20, 2010
Box Score
KINGSTON, RI – Behind a school record-tying 13 made threes and four players in double figures, La Salle Women’s Basketball picked up its second conference win of the season with a 75-63 victory over the Rhode Island Rams in Atlantic 10 action at the Ryan Center Saturday afternoon.
Tara Lapetina led the Explorers with 15 points, knocking down a career-high tying five threes, while Jamie Walsh, who hit four, and Ashley Gale added 14 each and Nadia Duncan poured in 13.
Early in the contest, both teams held the lead twice and the score was knotted two times as well. The Rams held their biggest lead at 7-3 just four minutes into the game after a Megan Shoniker three pointer.
The Explorers responded with back-to-back threes from Lapetina and Antonia Gale to take the lead, but only briefly. Lara Gaspar tied the game 20 seconds later, and with 13:20 left in the first, it was 9-9.
Walsh then struck for her first three of the ballgame and the Explorers would never trail again. Ashley Gale hit her first basket of the afternoon to give La Salle a 20-15 lead, but Ashley Rivera answered with a deuce at the 7:35 mark.
Over the next four minutes, La Salle used a 10-2 run to take control of the contest. Gale scored on a three-point play and Walsh knocked down a three. After another Rivera jumper, Duncan and Gale each hit a pair of free throws to push the Explorers lead to 11 with 3:40 before the break.
It was still 11 points before the Explorers closed out the half with the last five points – two free throws by Gale and Walsh three – to give them their most points scored in a first half in conference play (40) this season. The previous high was 28 at Richmond.
In the second, Duncan paced La Salle’s offense for the first three minutes, scoring eight to push the Explorers lead to 20 at 48-28.
It was then Lapetina’s turn as she knocked down a three – the start of three straight threes hit by the senior – to give La Salle its largest lead of the game at 23.
Rhode Island (9-18, 2-10 A-10) slowly cut into its deficit and had it down into single digits – nine with 4:48 to play – when Shoniker scored on a lay-up.
La Salle answered with an Antonia Gale jumper and Lapetina three to build its lead back to 14 and the advantage would not dip below double figures the rest of the way.
Ashley Gale added a game-high tying six rebounds, a game-high four assists and two blocks, and one steal to her totals. Interestingly, the Explorers are 6-2 when she fills the stat sheet – at least four points and one each of the others.
Lapetina and Walsh each added three assists to their totals, as Walsh hit double figures for the fourth straight contest. Lapetina is now tied for eight all-time in threes made in a career with 121, while Walsh now has 63 this year, tied for the third-most in a single season.
Duncan tied for the game-high with six rebounds and added two steals, while scoring in double figures for the fifth time this year. For La Salle, they are 2-0 this year and 11-1 over the last three seasons when they have four players score at least 10 points.
Antonia Gale and Morgan Robertson rounded out the La Salle scoring with seven points apiece, while Robertson added four boards and Gale two and a game-high tying two steals.
The 13 threes made in the game tie the school record set last season at Morgan State (Dec. 3, 2008). The Explorers have now hit 35 three pointers in their last three games, shooting almost 60% in that time.
La Salle (7-20, 2-10 A-10) improved its record against the Rams to 19-2 all-time and 8-0 at Rhode Island.
They will stay on the road for their next contest, a Wednesday date in Pittsburgh with Duquesne. Tip time is slated for 7 PM.
