Jan. 2, 2011

Box Score

BETHLEHEM, PA - Senior Ashley Gale scored a career-high 31 points including six 3-pointers in the La Salle women's basketball team's 85-67 loss at Lehigh on Sunday afternoon.

Gale (Glenside, PA/Cheltenham) added a perfect 7-for-7 performance from the free throw line as she broke her previous career high of 27, set on Dec. 8, 2007, versus Quinnipiac. Her 31 points also marked the first 30+ point performance by an Explorer since Carlene Hightower poured in 32 at Rhode Island on Feb. 20, 2008. Gale also registered a game-high six steals.

Ebonee Jones (Odenton, MD/Arundel) added 13 points and eight rebounds. With her third straight double-figure performance, Jones is now averaging 17.0 points over the last three games.

Chelsea Conner (Gloucester City, NJ/Gloucester) chipped in eight points along with a game-high 10 rebounds.

Three Mountain Hawks reached double figures, led by Courtney Dentler's 21. Aly Byorick added 13 on four 3-pointers and Erica Prosser added 12. Prosser added a game-high nine assists.

The Explorers were limited to one field goal over the first 10:57 as the hosts ran out to a 16-6 lead halfway through the first stanza. Jones broke the scoring drought with a short jumper at the 9:03 mark and Michele McCaughern (West Chester, PA/West Chester East) added a jumper at 7:55 to cut the deficit to six.

However, a Hillary Weaver layup at 7:50 sparked a 12-0 Lehigh run to put the game back to double digits for the remainder of the game.

Gale closed out the first half and started the second with a 13-point run of her own with three treys, a layup and two free throws to put the score at 40-29 at the 19:32 mark of the second half.

Lehigh held its largest lead of the game - 29 points - at the 11:34 mark, before the Explorers went on a 12-1 run with balanced scoring to close the game to 68-50, capped off by two Jones free throws at 9:20. The Mountain Hawk lead hovered around 20 the remainder of the contest for the final 85-67 score.

The Explorers have a quick turnaround, playing at Princeton on Tuesday (1/4) at 7:00 PM.