PHILADELPHIA - Sophomore Micahya Owens tied a career high with 23 points to lead the La Salle women's basketball squad past Manhattan, 61-48, in a midday nonconference tilt at Tom Gola Arena on Tuesday.

Ebony Wells added her second straight double-figure game, finishing with 11 points on 5-for-10 shooting. 

The Explorers (2-2) welcomed nearly 400 elementary school students to Tuesday's game in the team's annual Kids Day.

A pair of Jaspers (1-3) finished with 10 points, inlcuding Shayna Ericksen and Kayla Grimme. Grimme completed the double-double by adding 11 rebounds.

Defense was the name of the game, as the Explorers held the Jaspers to just 29.6 percent shooting from the field and 5-of-16 from long range. On the flip side, the Explorer hands were hot as the squad shot over 40 percent for the first time this season (40.7 percent). They went 5-for-14 from three-point range. 

The Explorer also recorded six blocks, five in the first half, thanks to a pair of blocks each from Siobhan Beslow and Jasmine Alston. Beslow added a team-high-tying eight rebounds, and Alston added five assists and three steals.

The Explorers built a 7-0 lead through the first media timeout, thanks to a jumper and a three from Wells. The Jaspers did not get on the scoreboard until the 14:08 mark on an Ericksen layup. The squad scored the next five points to open a 10-point 12-2 lead at 12:34, but the Jaspers responded with an 8-0 run over the next two minutes to draw within two. The Explorers held a single-digit lead down the stretch in the first half until two Alston free throws with 49 seconds on the clock gave the home squad a 29-19 halftime lead.

Manhattan scored the first four points of the second half to draw within six but an Owens layup sparked a 10-3 spurt to give the Explorers their largest lead of the game, a 16-point 42-26 lead. 

Manhattan responded with a 12-3 run to get within 45-38 at 7:44, but that was the closest the Explorers would permit the Jaspers to get as they rebuilt the double-digit lead and hung on to that for the final 5:43 of the game.

The Explorers dominated under the basket, outscoring the Jaspers 26-12 in the paint including 16-4 in the second half.

The Explorers return to action on Friday when they take on LIU Brooklyn in the opening game of the LIU Turkey Classic at 2 pm. They wrap up the Thanksgiving tournament on Saturday against Towson at 4:30 pm.