Late La Salle Rally Downs Women's Hoops 68-64

PHILADELPHIA - A 13-to-2 run in the final three minutes of play proved the difference maker as La Salle rallied late to get past the UMass women's basketball team 68-64 on Wednesday afternoon at Gola Arena. The Minutewomen led by as many as 18 points midway through the third quarter, but the Explorers used eight second half three pointers to comeback from the deficit.

RECORDS:
UMass falls to 9-13 overall and 3-6 in the Atlantic 10, while La Salle improves to 12-8 overall and 5-3 in league play. The Minutewomen will next play on Saturday, Jan. 28 at VCU (1 p.m.) in Richmond, Va.

UMASS LEADERS:
Hailey Leidel led all players with 20 points and posted her second-straight double-double with a career-high 13 rebounds. Maggie Mulligan added her 16th double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Alyx Stiff and Leah McDerment each had 12 points to round out the Minutewomen's top scorers.

LA SALLE LEADERS:
La Salle was led by 18 points from Adreana Miller who was 6-of-9 from beyond the arc and 17 points from Amy Griffin. Micahya Owens rounded out the top scorers with 13 points.

KEY PLAYS:
• UMass used a 14-to-4 run in the first quarter to take a 16-9 lead heading into the second stanza. The Minutewomen were effective defensively forcing 19 consecutive missed field goals by the Explorers from the 7:05 mark of the first to the 7:44 mark of the second quarter.
• After La Salle cut the UMass lead to six points midway through the second, the Minutewomen scored eight straight points to go up 31-20 with just under two minutes before halftime.
• The Minutemen built on their 34-25 halftime lead by scoring six straight points to start the third quarter as part of a 10-to-1 run to start the second half. A jumper by Stiff put UMass up 44-26 with 5:37 left in the period.
• The Explorers managed to cut the deficit to 10 points heading into the fourth quarter. After La Salle cut the lead to 56-51 after three pointers from Anemone Scheel and Owens, Stiff answered with a three-ball of her own extending the lead back to eight points. An Owens three-pointer with 2:48 to go sparked the final run for the Explorers.
• After La Salle tied the game on a Griffin free throw with 31 seconds to go, UMass was able to gain possession but turned the ball over with seven seconds to go. Jasmine Alston hit a free throw with 5.5 seconds remaining and a turnover after the inbounds led to a three-pointer by Griffin at the buzzer to give the final score.

NUMBERS GAME:
UMass finished the game hitting 18-of-49 field goals and converting 24-of-32 free throw attempts. The Explorers hit 24-of-72 shots including 11 three pointers. The Minutewomen held a 45-to-42 edge on the boards.

FACT OF THE NIGHT:
The Minutewomen led for 34 minutes, 54 seconds of the game. The loss marked the fourth time this season UMass has lost by six-points or fewer.

For complete coverage of the UMass women's basketball team, follow the Minutewomen on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @UMassWBB and online at www.UMassAthletics.com. Tickets for home games can be purchased by calling 866-UMASS-TIX, logging on to www.UMassAthletics.com, and by visiting the Mullins Center Box Office.

Scoreboard

Next Event

Team Stats

Hailey Leidel

Maggie Mulligan

Leah McDerment

Alyx Stiff

Players Mentioned

Hailey Leidel

Leah McDerment

Maggie Mulligan

Alyx Stiff

Players Mentioned

Hailey Leidel

Leah McDerment

Maggie Mulligan

Alyx Stiff

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics