La Salle puts Fordham away in second half of key Atlantic 10 game
Kayla Spruill’s deep shooting and the Explorers’ perimeter defense helped them keep pace in the crowded league standings.
La Salle knows how to protect a lead, having won every game this season where it has led at the half.
Against Fordham on Thursday morning, the Explorers turned a one-point halftime lead into a 61-49 victory at Tom Gola Arena.
The Explorers’ win also marked their first home win over Fordham since 2012. They stifled the Rams from behind the arc, with Fordham shooting 2-for-17 from long range.
“[Fordham is] a really, really good team that creates good shots for two kids who are really talented at scoring the ball,” La Salle head women’s basketball coach Mountain MacGillivray said. “You’ve got to defend, and I thought we played some of the best defense we played all season.”
» READ MORE: Kayla Spruill is making her mark, and inching close to leaving one, at La Salle
La Salle (16-11, 7-5 Atlantic 10) was just a half-game out of third place in the A-10 at game’s end, behind Fordham (16-10, 8-5), St. Joseph’s, and George Washington.
Spruill steps up again
Kayla Spruill led all scorers with 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Spruill also made four three-pointers to add to the all-time three-pointer record that she claimed over the weekend. It was the second-most three-pointers she has made in a game this season, and she added six rebounds, an assist, and two steals.
“[Spruill] took advantage of the size difference,” senior Molly Masciantonio said. “I think all of her shot selection was really good today. She just was confident in her shots that she made.”
Freshman forward Mia Jacobs had 10 points and eight rebounds, and senior guard Amy Jacobs grabbed 11 boards. Masciantonio had seven assists and recorded three steals.
Anna DeWolfe and Asiah Dingle led Fordham with 17 and 15 points, respectively.
Protecting the basketball
La Salle committed 13 turnovers in the first half, leading to 10 Fordham points. Nine of those turnovers came in the first quarter, which allowed the Rams to stay within striking distance even though they were shooting just 29.4% to La Salle’s 57.1%. The Rams had eight steals to La Salle’s three in the first half, allowing Fordham to pull within one point at halftime, after La Salle had built as much as a nine-point lead.
La Salle extended their lead in the third quarter, as the Rams scored just four points off turnovers in the second half.
“We came out throwing the ball inside, and that got us going,” MacGillivray said. “Ball reversal, Claire [Jacobs] driving, and it was successful. Then they adjusted, doubled the post, and we turned the ball over a bunch of times. So then we adjusted, stopped throwing the ball in the post, and found other ways to score. And that’s what every game is just about, two teams figuring out how to stop what’s working for the other team.”
Up next
The Explorers will head to St. Louis on Sunday (2 p.m., ESPN+) and then visit Dayton on Wednesday (7 p.m., ESPN+).