PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle women's basketball team held off a late rally to defeat the American Eagles 63-59 on Sunday afternoon at Tom Gola Arena. 
 
La Salle led the Eagles 49-42 early in the 4^th quarter before a 7-0 run by the Eagles tied the game at 49-49. Micahya Owens hit a layup with 6:20 left in the game to give the Explorers a 51-49 lead and spark a 5-1 run for La Salle.
 
American cut the lead to three with a pair of Briana DuBose free throws with 4:10 left but the Explorers didn't relinquish the lead. Owens hit a jumper and Amy Griffin hit a pair of foul shots over the final minute to keep the Eagles at bay.
 
Owens finished with a team-high 17 points and four rebounds, going 5-for-11 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line. Griffin hit all four of her free throw attempts on the way to 12 points while the Explorers were 23-for-29 from the line as a team.
 
La Salle led by as many as nine in the 1^st quarter, thanks in part to a strong start from Jasmine Alston. The senior had six of her 14 points in the opening quarter, and led the team in both rebounds (eight) and assists (four).
 
La Salle enters the UNC Wilmington Thanksgiving Classic next weekend, where they'll play Miami (OH) on Saturday and UNC Wilmington on Sunday.