OLEAN, N.Y. - La Salle staved off a seven-minute field goal drought midway through the second half by hitting 10 of 12 free throws in that time and the Explorers defeated St. Bonaventure 66-53 in a crucial Atlantic 10 matchup at the Reilly Center on Wednesday evening.
Micahya Owens drained 15 of her game-high 20 points in the second half, while adding five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal to an impressive stat line for the sophomore.
Jasmine Alston had one of her best games of the season, pouring in 14 points and adding seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Siobhan Beslow chipped in nine points on 4-for-6 shooting and grabbed four offensive rebounds to help the Explorers grab their first win at the Reilly Center since 2007.
Katie Healy led the Bonnies (15-13, 5-10 Atlantic 10) with 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting. Mariah Ruff and Nyla Rueter added 13 each.
After a quick Bonnie bucket after the opening tip, Alston hit a layup and the Explorers (14-14, 5-10 Atlantic 10) did not trail at any point in the game beyond that. The Explorer defense was spectacular in the first half, holding the Bonnies scoreless for an 8:18 period and just 18 points total in the half while building a 28-18 halftime lead. The 18 points were the fewest given up in one half by the Explorers this season.
Alston closed out the first half with a thrilling layup at the buzzer and was fouled on the play. After an official review, the bucket was declared good and Alston was put at the free throw line for the and-one, which she calmly sank to push the Explorer lead back to double digits.
The Explorers came out of the halftime break and outscored the Bonnies 12-7 over the first five minutes to give them their biggest lead of the game at 40-25. The Bonnies mounted a 7-1 spurt capped by two Healy free throws to get within nine at 12:33, but four straight
Khristin Lee free throws sent the Explorers back up 13.
The Bonnies showed fight once again, as two Rueter threes and a Healy bucket cut the Explorers' lead to 45-40 but that was the closest the Explorers let the home squad down the stretch. Owens drained two free throws to get the lead back to seven, and
Lisa Mintzer halted a seven-minute field goal drought with a layup in the paint at 7:50 for a 49-40 lead.
Healy responded with a jumper to get back within 49-42, but the Explorers responded with a 10-3 run to take a 14-point 59-45 lead with under four remaining to ice the game. The Bonnies never seriously threatened down the stretch.
The Explorers shot 39.7 percent from the field and held the Bonnies to 32.7 percent. They went 4-for-10 from three, while holding the Bonnies to 4-for-20 from long range. The Blue & Gold also edged the Bonnies on the boards, 40-38, and forced 15 turnovers to just nine Explorer miscues.
The Explorers also put together one of their better performances from the free throw line, going 16-for-22 overall including 13-for-17 in the second half. The Bonnies were 15-for-21 at the charity stripe.
One more regular season game awaits the Explorers, as they host Saint Joseph's on Sunday at 1 p.m. The team's four seniors -
Siobhan Beslow,
Alicia Cropper,
Indigo Dickens and
Khristin Lee - will be honored in a pre-game Senior Day ceremony at approximately 12:45 p.m.
