AMHERST, Mass. – Junior Kayla Spruill and sophomore Claire Jacobs combined for 37 points Sunday afternoon as the La Salle women's basketball team (9-8, 5-5 A-10) defeated Massachusetts (10-5, 6-4 A-10), 69-63, for the programs first win over the Minutewomen since Jan. 25, 2017.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Explorers forced five UMass turnovers through the first 5:14, but only shot 13% during that timeframe as UMass held a 5-3 lead. La Salle came out of the break on an 8-0 spurt over the next 1:36 span to jump in front, 11-5. The Blue & Gold finished the period up 16-8.
• La Salle continued where it left off in the opening period by taking the first five points of the second stanza, which forced a UMass timeout with 8:16 left and an Explorers lead, 21-8. The Minutewomen changed the tune over the remainder of the period as they outpaced the Blue & Gold, 14-8. La Salle held a 29-22 lead at the half and was outshooting UMass 44% to 27%, including 55% to 17%.
• It was a back-and-forth affair through the initial 5:55 of the third with UMass holding a slight 9-8 margin to cut the deficit to 37-31. The Blue & Gold pulled the game back to an 11-point lead after a 12-7 benefit to finish the period up, 49-38.
• UMass began to chip away at the Explorers' double-digit lead with an 11-7 advantage through the first 5:11 of the period to trim the lead to seven, 56-49. The Minutewomen were able to pull within five on two separate occasions but could not complete the comeback effort.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Spruill led all scorers with 21 points on 7-of-13 from the field, 2-of-3 from deep, and 5-of-6 from the line. She added seven rebounds, two blocks, two steals, and an assist to her all-around performance.
• C. Jacobs dropped 16 points on a 5-of-12 afternoon.
• The trio of seniors Kate Hill, Deja King, and sophomore Amy Jacobs each recorded seven points.
• Hill dished out five assists with no turnovers.
• A. Jacobs corralled five rebounds.
• Junior Molly Masciantonio was the jack of all trades with five points, four rebounds, six assists, four steals, and no turnovers.
• La Salle shot 40% overall, 34.8% from three-point range, and 68.0% from the stripe.
• The Blue & Gold claimed the turnover battle by a +8 margin (11 to 19).

GAME NOTES:

• La Salle moves to 16-6 overall under head coach Mountain MacGillivray when scoring at least 67 points.
• The Explorers are now 6-2 this season when leading at the half.
• Masciantonio's four steals tie her career mark. 

UP NEXT:
La Salle will host Saint Louis on Friday for a 6 p.m. tipoff on ESPN+.