PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle women's basketball squad continued to roll on Saturday, defeating Massachusetts 78-41 behind a career-high 23 points from Micahya Owens.

The 37-point margin of victory is the largest since the 1997-98 squad toppled Rhode Island by 37 in an 81-44 decision.

The win moves the Explorers to 4-0 in Atlantic 10 play, the first time the program has started league play with a 4-0 record since La Salle joined the A-10 in the 1995-96 season. They improve their overall record to 9-7, the best record through 16 games since the 2008-09 squad also went 9-7 through 16.

The Explorers (9-7, 4-0 Atlantic 10) have also now won six of their last seven, dating back to a 66-58 win against Tennessee State on Dec. 21 in the Gator Holiday Classic.

In addition to Owens' 23 points, Khristin Lee chipped in nine and Alicia Cropper contributed seven. Ten Explorers total got on the board in a well-balanced scoring effort.

The Explorers dished out a season-high 23 assists, led by six apiece from Cropper and Jasmine Alston.

The contest was never in doubt, with the Explorers racing out to a 22-9 lead midway through the first half. The Minutewomen (3-14, 0-3 Atlantic 10) crept to within six (23-17), thanks to a 15-point first-half performance by Kim Pierre-Louis. Pierre-Louis finished with a team-high 19 points for UMass on 8-for-11 shooting.

La Salle closed out the half outscoring UMass 14-6 to take a 37-23 halftime lead.

If a 14-point halftime lead left any questions about the outcome, the Explorers squelched those with a 26-4 run out of the locker room to open up a 36-point 63-27 lead with 7:58 remaining. Pierre-Louis got a bucket at 7:22, but Owens and Deja Bullock hit back-to-back baskets to put the Explorers up by 38 at 67-29 for the largest lead of the game.

The teams scored almost evenly down the stretch for the final 78-41 score.

La Salle dominated in the paint, outscoring the Minutewomen 28-12 under the basket and the Explorers also outscored the Minutewomen 17-6 off turnovers. The Explorers forced 17 UMass turnovers while committing a season-low 11.

The Explorers outrebounded UMass 44-34, led by Siobhan Beslow's nine boards. Lisa Mintzer contributed a career-best six boards while tying her career mark with six points.

La Salle shot over 50 percent for the second time this season, going 50.8 percent from the field (32-63) while limiting UMass to 30.2 percent (16-53). The Explorers allowed just one late three-pointer in the final seconds, while going 5-for-11 from long range. They also went 9-for-15 from the free throw line, while UMass went a paltry 8-for-21 at the charity stripe.

The Explorers have a shot to make it a 5-0 start in A-10 play when they head to St. Bonaventure on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tipoff.