Box Score


RICHMOND, Va. - Jada Payne recorded her second straight career best with 24 points, but La Salle could not overcome 27 Richmond points at the free throw line in a 74-70 loss at the Robins Center on Saturday afternoon.



Payne scored 11 in the first half and 13 in the second, with nine points in treys to lead the Explorers (9-11, 3-2 Atlantic 10). Alexis Scott scored 17 as well with 15 of those points coming in the second half. Jordan Mosley added three treys and a free throw for 10 points.



Genevieve Okoro led the Spiders (15-4, 3-2 Atlantic 10) with a double-double of 21 points and a game-best 11 rebounds. Abby Oliver added 15, Rachael Bilney scored 14 and Liz Brown chipped in 10 to round out the double-figure scoring.



There were eight lead changes and four ties through the first eight minutes until the Spiders took control with two Bilney free throws at the 12:05 mark. The Explorers limited the home squad to just three field goals through the first 11+ minutes of the game but the Spiders stuck around by hitting 10-of-11 free throws in that time and 12-of-13 for the half.



The Spiders built a seven-point lead at the 8:14 mark with an Okoro layup before a Payne triple sparked an 8-2 Explorer run to bring the Blue & Gold within one at 22-21 with 5:54 until the half. The run was capped by the first of Mosley's three treys for the game.



Richmond responded with a 13-4 run to close out the half and take a 35-26 lead into the break, overcoming 16 first-half turnovers by shooting 76.9 percent from the field (10-for-13) including 3-for-3 from three-point territory along with 12 points at the free throw line.



The Explorers came out of the break on a tear, scoring the first seven points of the half to get within one at 35-34. Payne nailed a jumper and trey and Mosley added a trey in the spurt. Two Okoro free throws broke up the run and push the Spider lead back to three, but Scott responded with a jumper to get back to the one-point deficit.



Payne picked up a missed Okoro jumper and got the ball to Scott, who dished it to Mosley for the triple and the first Explorer lead at 39-37 with 16:31 on the clock.



Richmond once again responded with a 6-0 spurt to regain a 43-39 lead at 14:47 and the home squad stayed ahead until Nadia Duncan tied it up at 57-all with a layup at 10:10. The Explorers regained the lead a minute later with another Payne jumper, but the Spiders went ahead for good on a Bilney layup with 7:58 remaining.



The Explorers hung around, never letting the home squad go ahead by more than six and getting within three at 70-67 with 1:34 on the clock. Two Bilney free throws at 1:06 pushed the Spider lead back to five. An Explorer miscue and more Spider free throws iced the game for the final 74-70 score.



The Explorers distributed the ball well, recording 15 assists to 16 turnovers, while forcing the Spiders into 24 miscues (16 in the first half) with just 12 assists. Payne led with five helpers. Richmond held a 34-25 advantage on the boards and were whistled for just 11 fouls to the Explorers' 22. The Spiders went 27-of-34 at the charity stripe.



La Salle shot 42.6 percent for the game, including 51.6 percent (16-for-31) in the second half. Richmond hit 56.4 percent for the game.



The Explorers return to action in one week, when they host St. Bonaventure on Saturday (1/28) in a regionally televised game at 1 p.m. at Tom Gola Arena.