Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - Brittany Wilson drained a season-best 24 points but the La Salle women's basketball squad lost a 67-51 Big 5 game to Villanova at Tom Gola Arena on Sunday afternoon.

Wilson was the lone Explorer in double figures. Nadia Duncan scored nine and Alexis Scott and Jada Payne chipped in six apiece. Villanova's Laura Sweeney hit for 24 points on 10-for-12 shooting and pulled down a game-best 11 rebounds for the double-double. Emily Suhey added 12 points on four treys and Taylor Holeman chipped in 11 points for the Wildcats.

Villanova (6-2, 1-0 Big 5) ran out to a 20-4 lead, holding the Explorers (2-7, 1-1 Big 5) scoreless for nearly nine minutes. Scott broke up the drought with a jumper at the 7:22 mark, sparking a 12-0 run to bring the Explorers back within four with 3:49 until halftime.

The first of Suhey's four treys ended the run as the visitors pushed their lead back to double digits. Suhey nailed her second trey to end the half and put the Wildcats up 31-20 at the break.

Six straight points from Wilson early in the second stanza brought the Explorers back within single digits, cutting the Villanova lead to 35-28 at the 15:58 mark. Following a three-point play by Emily Leer, Jordan Mosley hit a jumper at 14:46 to put the score at 38-30, but that was the closest the Explorers got the rest of the game as the Wildcats enjoyed a double-digit advantage for the remainder of the game.

Despite Suhey's four treys, both teams struggled around the perimeter. Villanova shot just 29.4 percent (5-for-17) and the Explorers 15.4 percent (2-for-13). Payne made both Explorer treys to tally her six game points. Both squads saw success at the free throw line with the Explorers going a perfect 7-for-7 and the Wildcats shooting 8-of-9. Turnovers were also scarce with the teams combining for just 15 total (nine for La Salle, six for Villanova).

The Explorers go back on the road for one final contest before the week break for finals. They tip off at Loyola (Chicago) on Thursday (12/8) at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central.