BRONX, N.Y. – The La Salle women's basketball team trailed by 12 points at the end of the first half, but double-digit scoring efforts from senior Kayla Spruill and junior Amy Jacobs in the second half propelled the Explorers to a 71-62 victory over the Fordham Rams.

With a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter, Spruill reached the 1,000-point mark as an Explorer. She is now just the 26^th Explorer to reach the career milestone.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Fordham got off to an early 4-0 run before the Explorers took their only lead of the quarter,6-4, with a 6-0 run of its own. A 9-0 run by Fordham through the final 1:28 topped off with a 3-point bucket at the buzzer gave the Rams a 22-10 advantage over La Salle heading into the second quarter.
• Claire Jacobs opened up the second quarter with a three-pointer earning five unanswered points on 2-of-3 shooting through the first 2:25 of play to bring the Explorers within seven points of the lead, 22-15. The Rams matched La Salle's 13 points in the frame to maintain its 12-point advantage at the end of the half.
• The third quarter was all La Salle with Spruill earning 15 of La Salle's 22 points in the frame on 5-of-7 shooting, 1-of-1 from deep and a perfect 4-of-4 from the line. The Explorers went 3-for-3 from deep in the frame with Jaye Haynes and Christina Kline getting in on the 3-point action with one apiece to cut the deficit to just nine points, 54-45, heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
• La Salle continued the forward momentum with a 6-0 run through the first three minutes of the final quarter to come within three points of the Rams' lead, 54-51. Fordham managed to maintain its lead over the next two minutes, but another 6-0 run starting a the 4:53 mark gave the Explorers the edge it needed to pull ahead 60-59, taking a lead it wouldn't relinquish through the remainder of the game.  Amy Jacobs' five points through the final minutes pushed La Salle to a nine-point victory over Fordham, 71-62.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Spruill, Amy Jacobs and Molly Masciantonio all scored double-digits in the game. The Explorers were paced by Spruill's 24 points on 8-of-20 shooting followed by Amy Jacobs 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting and a team-high 6-of-7 from the line. Masciantonio went 4-of-8 from the field for 10 points.
• Spruill led La Salle in rebounds with 10. Fordham outrebounded the Explorers 38-33 in the game, but La Salle won the rebound effort in the fourth quarter pulling down 14 boards compared to the Rams' eight.
• La Salle outshot Fordham from the field 44.5% to 35.4%, the three-point range 36.8% to 33.3% and the line 66.7% to 62.5%.
• The turnover battle was close, but La Salle came out on top turning over the ball just one time less than Fordham, 11-12.
• 15 of Spruill's 24 points came in the third quarter while 12 of Amy Jacobs' 14 points came in the fourth frame.
• La Salle topped Fordham in points in the paint, 28-18.

GAME NOTES:

• Sitting just two points away from the 1,000-point mark after 30 minutes of play, Spruill sunk a 3-point bucket just over a minute into the fourth quarter to hit the milestone becoming just the 26^th Explorer in history to earn 1,000 points.
• The Explorers advance to 35-16 in the all-time series against Fordham. The victory snaps La Salle's eight-game skid against the Rams dating back to 2012.
• The victory marks the first conference win for La Salle this season.
• La Salle's 48 points in the second half mark the most scored in the second half of a contest by the Explorers this season. The team's 26 points in the fourth quarter mark the most scored in a single quarter this season.
• The Explorers improve to 4-1 this season when an opponent scores first.
• Spruill's 24 points in the game marks a new season-high and is the third time she has reached the 20-point mark. Her 24 points and 10 rebounds mark the senior's fourth double-double this season.
• This marks the third double-figure game for Masciantonio. She tied her season-high rebound total with six. Her four field goals in the game mark the third time the senior has sunk four buckets from the field this season.
• Amy Jacobs' 14 points mark a new season-high for the junior while her six free throws made and seven attempted both mark new career-highs. This is the third double-digit scoring effort for Jacobs this season.
• Claire Jacobs' six rebounds and three steals in the game tied her current season highs.

UP NEXT:

• La Salle returns back to Tom Gola Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 12 for the first time since Dec. 21 to take on Dayton at 6 p.m.