PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The La Salle women's basketball team got off to a slow start, but quickly mounted a comeback, overcoming a nine-point deficit to take down Saint Joseph's 69-65 in a close battle on Monday afternoon.
 
The Explorers' record improves to 9-6 overall, 2-1 in conference play and 2-1 in the Big 5. The Hawks' fall to 5-10 on the season, 1-2 in conference play and 2-2 in the Big 5.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Explorers were paced by Kayla Spruill who had a near-perfect afternoon shooting 6-of-7 from the field, 3-of-3 from deep and 4-of-4 from the line. The senior put together a 10-point performance comprised of four buckets from the line and two from the long range in the second quarter.
• La Salle held the advantage over SJU in the second frame scoring 25 points on 6-of-12 shooting, 2-of-5 from deep and 11-of-11 from the line to overcome a seven-point deficit and take a 35-30 lead in the second half.  
• St. Joe's battled back in the third frame taking as much as a four-point lead over the Explorers. Despite four lead changes in the frame, La Salle mounted a 10-0 run through the final three minutes complete with an Amy Jacobs 3-pointer as the time ran out to take a 53-47 lead into the final 10 minutes of play.
• The Hawks held a two-point, 18-16, advantage over the Explorers in the final frame coming as close as two points in the final minute, but two Crawford buckets from the line in the final seconds sealed the deal with the Explorers walking away with the 69-65 victory.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• La Salle dominated St. Joe's from the line shooting 18-for-18 (1.000).
• The Hawks won the battle at the rim pulling down 36 rebounds to the Explorers' 28. La Salle held the edge in turnovers, 12-13.
• Three Explorers ended the game in double-digits. La Salle was paced by Spruill's 19 points while Gabby Crawford added 15 of her own on 3-of-7 shooting and a game-high 9-of-9 from the line. Claire Jacobs totaled 10 points.
• Spruill and Molly Masciantonio pulled down a team-high five boards apiece.
• Amy Jacobs led the defensive effort for La Salle with a team-high three steals and two blocks.
• The Hawks topped La Salle in points in the paint (36-24), second chance points (6-4) and fast break points (14-0). The Explorers held the advantage in points from turnovers (16-7) and bench points (20-16).

 
GAME NOTES:

• La Salle's 100.0% effort from the line and Crawford's 9-for-9 performance all mark new season highs.
• The Explorers still trail 14-51 in the all-time series against St. Joe's. The victory marks only the fifth for La Salle when visiting the Hawks. La Salle now holds a two-game win streak over St. Joe's.
• Spruill has now reached double-digits in 11 of her 15 games played this season while Crawford has reached the mark in three of four games.
• This is the sixth contest in which La Salle has shot over 40.0% from the field. The Explorers are now 5-1 when shooting between 40-45%.
• La Salle is now 5-2 when its opponent scores first and 5-1 when leading at halftime.

 
UP NEXT:

• The Explorers make the trip to Fairfax, Virginia to take on George Mason this Friday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. The game will air nationally on ESPN+.