Feb. 3, 2006

Final Stats

St. Louis - Saint Louis snapped a three-game losing skid by knocking off La Salle 70-60 tonight in an Atlantic 10 Conference women's basketball game at the Bauman-Eberhardt Center. Billiken senior forward Marquita McFarland paced four Bills in double figures with 16 points.

Saint Louis dictated tempo early as the Billikens scored the first five points of the game on point guard Heather Leake's traditional 3-point play and McFarland's lay-in. The Explorers took their first lead 11-10 on guard Jenna Graber's trey out of the left corner, but SLU answered with forward Heather King's 15-foot jumper. La Salle guard Davinela Payne scored 10 of her 13 first-half points in the opening nine minutes of play and briefly restored the Explorers' one-point lead with a driving lay-up. SLU guard Rachel Diener responded with a threeball, and the Bills were comfortably ahead for the rest of the half.

Leading 17-15, the Bills went on an 11-1 run as McFarland scored six points to highlight the rally. La Salle's Graber drained another trey out of the right corner to break the run, but SLU still maintained a 31-19 advantage when Diener answered with a triple. The Explorers pounded the ball into the paint for their final six points of the half to close to within 35-28 at the break. Only poor free throw shooting (3-of-7) kept SLU from having a larger lead.

Saint Louis continued to attack in the opening moments of the second half and built a 45-32 edge as King converted two straight offensive rebounds. La Salle began a determined push, and Graber fueled a 13-2 run as the Explorers pulled within 47-45 after forward Carlene Hightower scored on a lay-up at the 10:40 mark. King continued to battle on the offensive glass for another bucket, and guard Cara Young used a nifty up-and-under move for a traditional 3-point play, and the Bills surged ahead 52-46. La Salle's Payne, who led all scorers with 24 points, scored again in close, but Diener buried another threeball from the left wing, and SLU again had a comfortable 55-48 margin with 7:38 to play. SLU expanded the lead to 59-48 on Diener's steal and breakaway lay-in, and La Salle never seriously threatened again.

Hightower added 17 points for La Salle (10-11, 6-4), while Graber finished with 12. Payne not only led her club in scoring, but also topped the Explorers with nine boards as La Salle had a 38-36 edge on the glass. La Salle shot 44.4 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from the arc and 61.5 percent from the free throw line.

Tyler McIlwraith and Diener each chipped in with 14 points for the Bills, while King tossed in 12 points. McFarland narrowly missed her fourth straight double-double with nine boards, which King matched. McIlwraith handed out a game-high seven assists, and Leake dished out six as the Bills had 17 assists and only 12 turnovers. SLU shot 44.3 percent from the field, 50 percent from deep and 56.3 percent from the line.

Saint Louis (5-15, 2-7) travels to George Washington Monday night.