Jan. 4, 2008

Box Score

EASTON, PA - Junior Margaret Elderton scored a career-high 16 points to lead four Explorers in double figures as the La Salle University Women's Basketball team defeated Lafayette College, 70-54, Friday night in non-conference action at the Kirby Sports Center.

Elderton hit 5-of-7 shots from the floor, including one three pointer, and 5-of-6 from the foul line for her team-high 16 points and she added a team-high tying five rebounds and four assists to her totals. Carlene Hightower matched Elderton's rebound and assist output and dropped in 13 points of her own, while both Morgan Robertson - 12 points - and Melanie Gibbons - 11 points - also pulled down five boards each.

The Explorers - who shot 57.9% for the game - made just two of their first seven shots, a three pointer by Hightower and a lay-up, which at the 16:27 mark of the first half gave La Salle a 5-4 lead they would never relinquish.

Elderton would add two foul shots - and after LaKeisha Wright made it a one-point game again at 7-6, La Salle would go on a 14-3 run hitting six straight shots to push its lead to 12 and it would not dip below eight the rest of the way. Elderton would score seven of her points in the run and her three with 11:12 left in the first put the Explorers up 21-9.

The lead was 16 (27-11) after Hightower knocked down her third three-pointer of the first half and Robertson recorded a three-point play of her own at the 7:58 mark. The lead would be 16 again after a Meghan Ahl three pointer (4:54 left), a Danielle Mickiewicz lay-up (3:14) and another Elderton jumper just 34 seconds before the break.

La Salle's bench outscored the Leopards 23-14, and did not miss a shot from the floor - a perfect 7-for-7 - which included two shots from Ahl. She also converted 4-of-4 from the foul line for a career-high nine points.

Lafayette (7-7) closed out the first with an Emily Garner basket, and then opened the second on a 7-3 spurt. When Vanesa Van De Venter scored two of her team-high 14 with 17:13 left in the game, the Leopards trailed by 10 at 39-29.

The Explorers answered with a 13-4 run over the next five minutes, with Robertson scoring seven in the run and Gibbons adding four. After a Robertson lay-up at the 12:01 mark, the lead was 19 (52-33).

With nine minutes remaining, La Salle led by 18 after an Alyse Hoover basket - the last the Explorers would make on the night, but a quick 7-0 run by Lafayette cut the deficit to 56-45. After Gibbons converted four straight free throws, another 7-0 Leopard run cut their deficit to eight (60-52).

However, starting with those Gibbons' foul shots, La Salle converted 14-of-16 free throws down the stretch to seal the victory as Lafayette would not score in the game's final 3:29.

La Salle (7-7) will play its final non-conference game off the season Monday, Jan. 7, hosting Penn at 7 PM.