Box Score

VILLANOVA, Pa. - After spotting Villanova an early 11-point lead, the La Salle women's basketball squad roared back to take the lead in an eventual 49-44 loss to the Wildcats.

Brittany Wilson led all scorers with 23 points, including scoring 21 of the Explorers' first 29. Ebonee Jones added 12 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double with nine.

Emily Leer came off the bench to score a team-best 19 for the Wildcats, and Laura Sweeney added a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.

The Explorers' defense was strong, holding the Wildcats to a season-low 49 points. The five-point loss was the best for a 'Cats opponent this season, as Villanova had won all of its games until today by an average of 23.2 points and all by double-digit margins. The Explorers (1-7, 0-2 Big 5) also edged the 'Cats on the boards, 39-38, and won the turnover battle as well in forcing 14 Villanova miscues to 13 of their own.

Villanova (6-1, 1-0 Big 5) appeared in control early, racing out to an 11-0 lead before Wilson got the Explorers on the board with a jumper at the 14:07 mark. Jones added a layup two minutes later to put the score at 11-4 before the Wildcats pushed their lead back to 11 at 15-4 thanks to two Leer baskets.

The Explorers began chipping away at the deficit, and closed out the half outscoring Villanova 14-6. Jones hit a jumper at 8:40 to spark the run, and Wilson nailed a trey to draw within six with 7:51 on the clock. Leer pushed it back to eight before two Jones free throws and two Wilson jumpers made it a two-point game with 3:25 until the half.

Wilson nailed a three-pointer at 2:13 to give the Explorers their first lead of the game but Sweeney closed out the half with two freebies and a layup for Villanova's 21-18 halftime lead.

La Salle raced out of the half, scoring 11 of the second half's first 12 points. Wilson nailed two free throws and Shanel Harrison got on the board to regain the Explorers' lead at 22-21 with 17:23 on the clock. Sweeney made one of two free throws to tie it at 22-22, but Wilson went on a 7-0 run to give the Explorers a 29-22 lead at 13:39.

Villanova's Devon Kane broke up the momentum with a jumper at 13:02 and chipped away at the Explorer lead until a Rachel Roberts jumper at 9:53 put the Wildcats ahead for good. A Leer layup at 5:59 capped a 17-2 Cats' run and the 44-33 lead proved too much to overcome.

The Explorers made a strong effort down the stretch. The Wildcats were up 46-35 with 3:38 on the clock before a Jordan Mosley triple sparked a 9-2 run to get within 48-44 with 25 seconds on the clock, but a Roberts free throw and a missed Explorer three-pointer at the end yielded the final 49-44 score.

The Explorers shot 28.8 percent for the game, but came out stronger in the second half with a 34.5 percent clip. The Wildcats went 35.3 percent for the game including 6-of-17 from beyond the arc.

La Salle returns home on Wednesday for its last game before the finals break, hosting Albany at 7 p.m. The Explorers then have off until Sunday, Dec. 16, when they host Florida at 1 p.m.