PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The La Salle women's basketball team took an early lead over Maryland Eastern Shore in the first quarter that it wouldn't relinquish throughout the remainder of the contest, claiming the 77-70 victory over the Hawks Wednesday night.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Explorers went on an early 14-0 run shooting 4-of-6 from deep through the first five minutes of the first frame. La Salle led by as many as 17 with three minutes remaining but a 5-0 run from the Hawks through the final minutes cut the deficit to 12, 23-11, at the end of the first quarter.
• La Salle extended its lead to 19 points with a 5-0 spurt in the first four minutes of the second quarter. UMES held the 19-12 edge over the Explorers in the frame coming within just five points of the lead heading into the second half, 35-30.
• UMES tied it up, 40-40, just over two minutes into the third quarter, but La Salle wouldn't relinquish its five-point lead with both teams earning 22 points in the frame.
• The Explorers maintained a two-point advantage, 20-18, over the Hawks in the final frame shooting 50.0% from the field to take the 77-70 victory.  

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Kayla Spruill led the Explorers on the night with a season-high 23 points on 8-of-11 from the field, 3-of-6 from deep and 4-of-4 from the line. She led La Salle in rebounds pulling down a team-high seven.
• Claire Jacobs, Molly Masciantonio and Jordan Lewis all had double-digit scoring performances on the night with 17, 11 and 13 points, respectively.
• Masciantonio continued to lead the Explorers on defense recording a team-high seven steals.
• The Explorers led from the charity stripe shooting 81.3%.
• The Hawks' bench contributed 51 points to the Explorers' 16 points.
• La Salle won the turnover battle with a +8 margin forcing 21 turnovers and only committing 13. The Explorers led in points off turnovers 23-13.

GAME NOTES:

• This marks the third-straight game that Spruill has shot 100% from the charity stripe. Her 23 points and eight field goals made marks new season-highs for the senior.
• Masciantonio's 11 points and Claire Jacobs' 17 points both mark new season-highs. Jacobs also recorded a career-high eight assists.
• La Salle is now 1-0 in the all-time series against Maryland Eastern Shore with this being the first meeting between the two programs.
• The Explorers have now recorded three-straight wins and are now 2-0 when playing in December.

UP NEXT:

• La Salle travels to New York to take on St. John's in an afternoon battle on Saturday, Dec. 11.