FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The La Salle women's basketball team fell to the Fairfield Stags 62-59 in the season opener on Friday night at Alumni Hall despite a furious comeback in the second half. 

Trailing 62-59 with 4.2 seconds left in regulation, the Explorers used their final timeout to setup up an inbounds play with the chance to tie the game. Jasmine Alston got the ball into the hands of Amy Griffin but the sophomore's heavily contested three fell short of the rim with .1 seconds remaining. 

Micahya Owens had hit a pair of free throws with 45 seconds remaining to cut La Salle's deficit to 61-59 before the Explorers got a defensive stop on Fairfield's next possession. A La Salle turnover preceded a trip to the line for Fairfield's Lizzy Ball, who hit a free throw to make it 62-59.  

The Explorers trailed by as many as 20 points in the 3rd quarter before going on a 20-5 run that started with a Griffin foul shot with 5:46 left in the 3rd quarter and stretched into the final quarter. 

Griffin had all 13 of her points in the second half while Owens had 14 of her 20 after the break. Owens led all scorers, going 8-for-22 from the floor and 4-of-6 from the line. 

Freshman Adreana Miller also had a big second half, netting 11 of her 16 points after the break before fouling out with 53 seconds remaining. Jasmine Alston had a team-high 10 rebounds to go with four points and six assists. 

The Explorers welcome Big 5 rival Temple to Tom Gola Arena for their home opener on Wednesday night at 7 pm.