PHILADELPHIA – Junior Kayla Spruill couldn't be stopped Saturday evening inside Tom Gola Arena when the La Salle women's basketball team (2-1) defeated Saint Francis (Pa.) (0-4), 76-68.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• La Salle maintained a 17-13 lead after the first frame. Spruill led all scorers with seven points, followed by sophomore Jordon Lewis with six. Most of the period was a back-and-forth affair after the home team opened a 10-4 margin over the first 4:47.
• The Red Flash started the second quarter on a 5-0 run to take the lead 18-17 before junior Claire Jacobs converted a fast break opportunity with 5:45 left in the half. La Salle tied the game at 22 with a three by sophomore Christina Kline and then Saint Francis reclaimed control with a 10-4 spurt over the final 4:04 for a 32-26 halftime lead. In total, the Red Flash owned the second quarter 19-9.
• La Salle worked a 13-5 run over the first 4:08 to pull ahead by two before Saint Francis connected on a three pointer to hold a 40-39 advantage at the media break with 4:52 left in the third stanza. The Blue and Gold were able to hold a slim 13-12 margin to force a 52-52 tie heading into the final round.
• SFU built a five-point led after scoring the first five of the final period. Spruill connected on a three to start a 13-4 run for the Explorers over a 3:29 span to hold a 65-61 lead into the media stoppage at 4:35. La Salle sealed the victory by outpacing its opponents 11-7 through the remainder of the game.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Spruill ended with a career mark 28 points on 10-of-14 (71%) shooting, 6-of-9 (66.7%) from three-point range, and 2-of-4 from the line. She added 10 rebounds to complete the double-double.
• Junior Molly Masciantonio dropped 10 points on 40% from the floor and connected a pair of triples.
• Lewis contributed nine points on a modest 3-of-4 from the field, including a perfect 2-for-2 from deep.
• C. Jacobs also registered nine points and a season best five rebounds.
• Senior Kate Hill continued her impressive ball handling skills with six assists compared to just one turnover. She added a season best six points.
• La Salle finished with a +7-turnover margin after forcing 16 Red Flash give ups.
• Collectively, the Blue & Gold shot 38.8% from the floor, 38.2% from long range, and 84.6% from the line.
• The Explorers also out rebounded an opponent for the first time this season – 39-37.
• In total the Explorers had 50 points off the bench, led by Spruill and Masciantonio's efforts.

GAME NOTES:

• La Salle scored 50 points in the second half for the first time since it did so at Saint Louis on Feb. 7, 2018.
• Spruill is the first Explorer to connect on five or more three pointers since Michelle Nicholls hit five against Norfolk State on Dec. 9, 2018.
• Rookie Morgan Adams made the first start of her career.
• Freshman Michelle Kozicki made her collegiate debut.

UP NEXT:
The Explorers will make the short trip over to Villanova on Wednesday for their first Big 5 game of the season.