DAVIDSON, N.C. – The La Salle women's basketball squad pulled away from a second-half tie by outscoring Davidson 18-9 down the stretch to take a 63-54 win at Belk Arena on Sunday afternoon in the Atlantic 10 opener for both squads.
 
The Explorers (10-4, 1-0 Atlantic 10) defeated the Wildcats in the first meeting in program history and spoiled Davidson's first-ever A-10 game, as the Wildcats joined the league this year after a 21-year run in the Southern Conference.
 
Alicia Cropper led all scorers with 19 points. Micahya Owens added 14 points, and rookie Amy Griffin chipped in 11 points. Griffin also set new career marks with seven rebounds and four assists, to go along with two steals and two blocked shots.
 
Siobhan Beslow recorded a near double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds, one off of her career high of 12 boards. Lisa Mintzer chipped in quality minutes in the first half, recording season bests with five rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals along with four points.
 
Davidson's Mackenzie Latt paced the Wildcats (4-10, 0-1 Atlantic 10) with 16 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, and Mellissa Geigerich was the other 'Cat in double figures with 11 points.

The Wildcats raced out to a 12-3 lead in the first four minutes behind nine Latt points, prompting Head Coach Jeff Williams to call for a timeout. The well-timed break rejuvenated the Explorers, who responded by outscoring Davidson 31-9 through the remainder of the half to take a 34-23 lead into the break.

A feisty Davidson squad came out hot in the second half, starting the second stanza in much the same fashion as the first. The Wildcats opened with an 11-4 run, sparked once again by Latt. They continued to chip away, eventually knotting the score at 45-45 on an Alex Long jumper at 10:35. The two squads then traded turnovers and fouls for the next two minutes until Cropper broke the deadlock with a three, which proved the winning bucket as the Explorers never let the Wildcats get ahead.

The Wildcats were within four at 52-48 with 4:47 remaining, but Owens responded with a layup in the paint followed by a three-pointer to push the Explorers back up by nine at 57-48 with 3:47 left.

Davidson got back within five on buckets from Hannah Early and Dakota Dukes, but that was the closest the Wildcats got down the stretch as they struggled at the free throw line late. The Explorers didn't fare much better, but the four of seven they made in the final minutes were enough to prohibit any chances for the home squad.

The Explorers shot 34.3 percent overall; however, the league's number two long-range shooting team struggled beyond the arc, going just 26.1 percent (6-23). Davidson went 33.9 percent overall and just 20.0 percent from three (3-15). Both squads struggled mightily at the charity stripe, with matching 9-for-20 efforts.

The Explorers owned a slight edge on the boards, 51-50, and pulled down 20 offensive boards sparked by seven from Beslow who is nearing the career top 10 in program history.
 
The Explorers return home to host Fordham on Thursday at 7 pm at Tom Gola Arena.