WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Sophomore Claire Jacobs and junior Molly Masciantonio combined for 30 points Wednesday night to lead the La Salle women's basketball team (1-1) to a 64-46 win over Monmouth (0-2).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The first 5:04 was a defensive battle as the Explorers forced five Monmouth turnovers but trailed 3-2 with the lone basket coming from rookie Morgan Adams. Masciantonio ripped off eight straight points to end the frame to knot things up at 10. La Salle had forced 10 Hawks' turnovers in the first.
• Sophomore Claire Jacobs started her season debut with a long range three before her twin, Amy Jacobs, finished a deuce to put La Salle on top 15-12 at the media timeout with 5:49 remaining. The Blue & Gold ended the quarter on a 10-6 spurt to hold a 22-18 lead at the break. Masciantonio finished the half with 11 points, followed by C. Jacobs with six.
• Four points from sophomore Jordon Lewis and a trey from junior Kayla Spruill pushed the lead for the Explorers to 11 points after the first 3:14 of the third. La Salle continued to pull away with a 10-2 run up to the media break at 3:49. Five of the 10 points came from C. Jacobs. In total the Explorers outpaced the Hawks 27-11 in the third for a 52-29 lead heading into the final frame.
• Monmouth chipped away slightly in the final quarter with a 17-12 advantage.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• C. Jacobs dropped 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-5 from long range.
• Masciantonio added a DI career high 14 points on a 5-of-13 night with three long balls.
• In total, 10 of 12 Explorers registered a point.
• Spruill had a team high seven rebounds.
• Senior Deja King led all players with four assists.
• The La Salle defense forced 31 Monmouth turnovers, compared to the Explorers 16.
• The Blue & Gold shot 35% (24-of-68) from the floor, 29% (10-of-34) from deep, and 60% (6-of-10) from the line.
• La Salle had 37 points off the bench, topping the Hawks' 20.

GAME NOTES:

• Haynes made the first start of her career.
• After her first bucket in the game, Spruill reached the 500-point plateau in her career. 

UP NEXT:
La Salle will return to the confines of Tom Gola Arena on Saturday for a late-afternoon matchup against Saint Francis (Pa.).