Nov. 25, 2007

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - Freshman Ashley Gale scored a team-high 13 points, but the La Salle University Women's Basketball team could not overcome an early deficit in a 68-57 loss to Central Florida in non-conference action on Sunday afternoon at Tom Gola Arena.

Gale was one of three Explorers to score in double-figures, as Jamie Walsh and Carlene Hightower each had 10. Hightower saw her streak of four consecutive games in which she scored 20 or more points snapped, and the Explorers fell to 2-3 on the year.

The Knights came out hot, shooing 77.8% (7-9) over the first seven minutes, building an early 12-point lead. It grew to as many as 13, before a 9-0 La Salle run cut the UCF advantage to four. Gale drained a pair of three-pointers while Walsh connected on one bringing their score to 24-20 with 4:09 left before the half.

La Salle kept the game close for the remainder of the half, as the Knights took a 30-24 lead into the intermission, however shooting woes plagued them all game. They shot just 32.2% (19-59) from the floor in the game, which included missing 11 lay-ups, while Central Florida shot 52.2% for the game, including 61.9% in the second half.

However, they continued to battle, and when Morgan Robertson hit a pair of free throws just inside the 12-minute mark, La Salle was down 44-40. UCF then rattled off six straight to bump the lead back up to 10.

Alyse Hoover nailed a three-pointer to bring La Salle to within five at 54-49 with 7:15 left, but that would be the closest they would get the rest of the game. Central Florida went on a 9-2 run to put the game out of reach, which was helped by a four-minute scoreless streak by the Explorers.

Tia Lewis and Emma Cannon each had double-doubles for the Knights, as Lewis had game-highs of 18 points and 14 rebounds. Cannon added 16 and 12, while D'Nay Daniels scored 13 for Central Florida (3-3).

Melanie Gibbons grabbed a team-high eight boards to go along with eight points, while Margaret Elderton came off the bench to score seven points, all in the second half.

La Salle returns to action Wednesday when they take to the road to battle Delaware with a tip slated for 7:00 PM.