PHILADELPHIA – Saint Joseph's sophomore guard Katie Jekot and freshman guard Kaliah Henderson combined for 30 points, but the Saint Joseph's women's basketball squad dropped an Atlantic 10 and Big 5 match-up to La Salle, 67-59, at Tom Gola Arena on Sunday afternoon. With the loss, the Hawks fall to 8-11 (2-5 A-10, 1-3 Big 5) while the Explorers improve to 8-12 (2-5 A-10, 1-3 Big 5).

Jekot scored a team-high 16 points (6-of-22 FG) and matched a game-high three steals in a team-high 37 minutes of play while Henderson was a spark off the bench, dropping a career-high 14 points (5-of-10 FG) to go with three rebounds and two steals in a career-high 25 minutes.

Freshman forward Gabby Smalls added 11 points (5-of-12 FG) and a team-high seven rebounds in 28 minutes.

How It Happened
• La Salle took advantage of Saint Joseph's 26.7 percent shooting from the field to gain a 15-8 edge by the end of the first quarter and continued to build on its lead en route to an 11-point advantage, 31-20, by the halftime break; Smalls went for seven points in the second quarter while junior point guard Lula Roig was limited due to two personal foul calls early in the first.
• Despite an 11-point, third-quarter effort from Jekot, La Salle was able to extend its lead by 16 points, 56-40, entering the fourth.
• Paced by Henderson's 10-point performance in eight minutes off the bench, the Hawks outscored the Explorers, 19-11, in the fourth quarter. SJU cut the deficit to six, 63-57, with 1:28 to play on back-to-back lay-ups from Smalls, but the Hawks shot 1-of-6 from the field in the closing 51 seconds en route to the eight-point, 67-59 loss.

Up Next
Saint Joseph's returns home to host George Washington (8-11, 2-4 A-10) this Wednesday, January 29. Opening tip is set for 7:00 p.m. in Hagan Arena.