PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle women's basketball team (5-7) got out to a strong start before No. 20 Villanova (10-0) turned the tide en route to a 76-49 Wildcat win on Wednesday afternoon at Tom Gola Arena at TruMark Financial Center.
 
La Salle scored the game's first five points and led for the entirety of the opening quarter. The Explorers were up by as many as seven points before Villanova took the lead for good on a Bridget Herlihy three-pointer at the 9:36 mark in the 2^nd quarter.
 
Adreana Miller scored a team-high 18 points, but no other Explorer scored in double figures. Amy Griffin scored eight points in the first eight minutes before leaving the game with an injury.
 
The Wildcats took over in the 2^nd quarter, outscoring the Explorers 22-8 over 10 minutes to take a 12-point lead into the break. Kelly Jekot had 15 of her 20 points in the opening half, and finished the game 9-for-14 from the floor.
 
Three other players scored in double figures for Villanova as Alex Louin and Adrianna Hahn went for 13 points apiece. Bridget Herlihy finished with 12 points while Brianna Herlihy pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
Deja King finished with eight points for La Salle while Shalina Miller tallied seven points and a team-best seven rebounds.
 
The Explorers open A-10 play on December 31 as they host the Dayton Flyers. Tipoff from Tom Gola Arena is set for 1 p.m.