 La Salle Falters Down The Stretch, Loses At Oral Roberts, 76-55
Nov. 20, 2009 TULSA, OK - La Salle Women's Basketball held a two-point lead, 51-49, with 10 minutes left in the game. However, the Golden Eagles held the Explorers to just one field goal and two free throws the rest of the way and cruised to the 76-55 victory, Friday afternoon at the Mabee Center. The hosts were aided by the Summit League's Player of the Week Kevi Luper, who scored an Oral Roberts' freshmen record 44 points. She hit 19-of-25 shots, including three made threes, and added a game-high 14 rebounds to four steals and three assists. She scored the game's first four points and helped the Golden Eagles jump out to an early six-point lead at 13-7 just five minutes into the contest - she had 11 of the team's 13. The Explorers tied the game at 13 on back-to-back threes from Tara Lapetina, and the rest of the first half, neither team took more than a five-point lead and the score was tied twice. La Salle's largest lead of the first was after an Ashley Gale three with just over one minute left before the break and took a one-point advantage (35-34) into the locker rooms. Luper hit a three to give the Golden Eagles a two-point lead right after intermission, but La Salle would take the lead back on a jumper by Jamie Walsh and two made free throws by Antonia Gale. The Explorers continue to keep the lead, but could never pull away from Oral Roberts.
With the Explorers leading 48-46, Luper converted an old-fashion three to put her team up one with 11:24 left in the game, and after Walsh scored three the same way, Luper responded again with a lay-up at the 9:31 mark to knot the score at 51, the ninth tie of the game. Over the next five minutes, La Salle turned the ball over three times and shot 0-for-6 from the floor as Oral Roberts opened a 13-point lead. When Antonia Gale scored on an offensive put-back with 4:40 left, the Explorers trailed 64-53 and it marked their only field goal in the last 10 minutes of the game. Antonia Gale finished the game with a career-high nine rebounds to go with nine points, while her sister Ashley led the team with 13 points and a career-high five steals. Morgan Robertson led La Salle with 10 rebounds and added nine points, while Walsh had 10 points and three assists. Oral Roberts (2-1) held advantages in all special stats: points in the paint 42-12; points off turnovers 28-14; second-chance points 20-8 thanks to a 17-10 edge in offensive rebounds; and fast-break points 14-0. La Salle (1-2) heads back out on the court Saturday with a 1:30 PM ET tip at Tulsa. |
