By: Erin Holly and Siobhan Nolan
PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle women’s basketball team defended their home court in the Tom Gola Arena over the Duquesne Dukes this past Wednesday evening. The Explorers remained neck-in-neck with the Dukes throughout the majority of the game, but especially in the last quarter, where junior guard Claire Jacobs scored a rebound bucket in the last second of the game to lead La Salle to a 67-66 victory over the Dukes.
This season’s last home game for the Explorers was not an easy win. La Salle trailed by six to the Dukes twice in the first quarter but managed to gain a one point lead to end the opening quarter in front 12-11.
The second quarter was not a walk in the park either, as it remained extremely close throughout, with the Explorers only up by a two point lead, 27-25, to close the first half.
The Explorers held their lead in the beginning of the second half with back-to-back three’s scored by Jacobs, senior guard Molly Masciantonio and senior guard Kayla Spruill. The Dukes matched this energy with baskets from their key players of the night, Amaya Hamilton and Libby Bazelak. Duquesne took the advantage at the end of the third quarter with a one point 46-45 lead.
The two teams tied the score twice within the first two minutes of the fourth quarter. La Salle took a one point lead over the Dukes, 59-58, just before head coach Mountain MacGillivray called a timeout.
La Salle vs. Duquesne Game Highlights by Erin Holly
Jacobs and Masciontonio were the only Explorers to continually score throughout the fourth quarter, to keep up with the Dukes’ Amaya Hamilton and Libby Bazelak’s back-to-back buckets. Masciantonio was fouled with 19 seconds left of the game and made both free throws to tie it up at 64-64.
The Dukes answered with a layup from Precious Johnson with seven seconds left in the game. A crucial timeout was called by MacGillivray, and the Explorer’s heads were in the game. Jacobs proceeded to put up a rebound jumper with two tenths of a second left on the clock to win the game for the La Salle Explorers by one point, 67-66.
Spruill led the Explorers with 17 points, shooting 7-10 from the field, and added two blocks and four turnovers. Jacobs tallied 16 points, including her game winning basket. She has recorded over 10 points in 11 games this season.
Friday Flashback: La Salle defeats Saint Louis on Explorers’ Senior Night
It was a bittersweet night for La Salle this past Saturday, as many Senior Nights tend to be. As Kayla Spruill and Erin Morgan walked onto the court arm-in-arm with their parents, hugging head coach Mountain MacGillivray and receiving a bouquet of flowers from head Athletics Director Brian Baptiste, the emotions in Tom Gola Arena were evident. No team wants to lose the game dedicated to players who have given four years of their lives for their team, and it was clear that the La Salle women’s team had no intentions of doing anything but winning.
While Saint Louis scored the first basket of the game, the Explorers went on an 11-0 run to put them ahead 11-2 a little more than two minutes into play. Excellent three-point shooting from Gabby Crawford, Claire Jacobs, and Morgan helped the team jump ahead 23-11, while Spruill took advantage of a turnover to edge the lead to 25-11.
The threes kept going from Jacobs, along with Molly Masciantonio, to help the Explorers to a massive 37-15 lead. Saint Louis managed to take some points back, but La Salle still went into halftime up 40-21.
The third quarter opened with a 14-2 run from the Billikens to cut the deficit to 42-35. The visitors would then start to creep up on La Salle, inching closer to the lead as the clock ticked down. Soon, Saint Louis was within just one point of the Explorers, but back-to-back three pointers from Jacobs and Masciantonio ensured that the home team kept their lead at 57-50.
La Salle vs. St. Louis - Video highlights by Erin Holly
An ensuing 6-0 run from Saint Louis wouldn’t be enough to overcome the Explorers, who would walk away with the 73-65 victory.
Spruill was once again the leading scorer for the women’s team, having a 17-point night, but she wasn’t alone in scoring double digits. Claire Jacobs nabbed 13 points, while Amy Jacobs, Masciantonio, and Jaye Haynes all recorded 12 points. This is the first time five Explorers have scored double digit points in 2019, marking yet another achievement for this season’s team.
The Explorers also continued to show off their ambitious shooting and their ability to cut through opposition defenses to make breathtaking shots. Even if the ball doesn’t go through the net, the pure style, fearlessness, and swagger shines incredibly brightly on the court. Capitalizing on strong team chemistry while also showcasing the individual strengths of players resulted in a well-earned win on senior night
Looking Ahead:
The Explorers (15-11 overall, 8-6 A-10) will play in their final game of the regular season on the road vs. George Washington this Saturday at 2 p.m.
The team will then prepare for the Atlantic 10 championship tournament, which will be held March 2-6 in Wilmington, DE.