Collegian Editor
After having a winless-outing at the Courtyard LaGuardia Turkey Classic in Long Island, N.Y., the women’s basketball team traveled out to West Virginia to face off against the Mountaineers.
Coming off a demoralizing one-point loss to Cal State Northridge, the Mountaineers were looking to add to the Explorers early season struggles, and that is exactly what they did.
The early minutes of the game were less than remarkable for both units with numerous sloppy mistakes as both teams committed seven turnovers. Freshman Ruvanna Campbell was the first to strike for La Salle with four straight points to push the lead, 6-5.
This slight advantage was quickly snapped after WVU’s Asya Bussie knocked down two free throws to ignite a 17-4 run bringing the score to 34-18. The Mountaineers would never look back.
In the second half, the Explorers battled to cut the deficit, but inexperience seemed to hinder the young Blue and Gold squad as their 20 turnovers led to the Mountaineers capitalizing on 20 points in return.
Despite trailing by a mere five points, 51-46, the Explorers comeback hopes vanished after sophomore Taylor Palmer sunk two treys, finishing the game with a team-high 20. Junior Alexis Scott recorded 21 in the 63-52 road defeat.
When it rains, it pours is a cliche that the Explorers found out the hard way in their next matchup as the Villanova Wildcats gave them their fourth straight loss.
From the tip-off, Nova pounded the ball inside as they dominated the smaller La Salle team. From post-moves to unguarded players in the circle, Villanova exploited La Salle’s size as they jumped out to a 20-4 lead.
La Salle finally found their formula as their team-leading scorer Scott alongside junior Brittany Wilson fueled a 12-0 run to end the nine-minute drought.
In spite of the significant drop from last game’s 20, the Explorers still recorded nine turnovers compared to Nova’s six in the 67-51 defeat. The only noteworthy performance in this Big 5 game for the Blue and Gold was Wilson, who manufactured a season-best and game-high 24 points.
Under the helm of Coach Jeff Williams, the Explorers now stand at 2-7 compared to last year’s 4-5 start in his first year. As this team continues to develop, their chemistry will grow as Williams still hasn’t determined a concrete starting lineup. One night, it may be all freshmen and another might consist of returners.
“There will be early minutes for a lot of players this season. They don’t know how much they’ll play,” Williams stated earlier in the year.
As this team works harder to hone their craft, they will hit some bumps on the road with their daunting schedule.
One of the Explorer’s biggest and earliest tests came against national powerhouse No. 16 Rutgers who not too long ago played for the National Championship against the Tennessee Volunteers in 2007.
Not indicated in their 48-61 loss, the Explorers stood neck-and-neck with the Scarlett Knights throughout. It was just one of those nights where nothing would fall for La Salle. The Blue and Gold weren’t the only ones who found trouble procuring a bucket, as the Rugters shot a dismal 36.5 from the field (23-63).
Whether the Scarlett Knights ate their Wheaties or not that morning, the Explorers still showed that they can hang around with some of the best talent in this country.
Crawling happens before walking, and elementary school is prior to college. With that being said, Williams knows success won’t be obtained in his second year of leadership which attributes to his patience in his young team.
The Explorers have nothing but time on their hands to mold and grow. Conference play does not start until early January, and by that time La Salle’s progress should be shown in the win column.
“By January, we will be ready to go,” Williams said.
waltersj1@student.lasalle.edu
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