PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – La Salle went on a decisive 14-4 run in the second half and opened up a 10 point lead to take down the Stags 73-59 at the Tom Gola Arena.  Casey Smith had the best game of her life in the loss, coming up with a career-high 24 points in her homecoming.

Smith who used to suit up for Philadelphia school, Saint Joseph shot 63 percent from the floor to go along with her personal-best 24 points in her first game back to the City of Brotherly Love.  The 24 points is the most by a Stag this season.

Both teams pressed the tempo to start the second half with 13 points scored in the first four minutes.

La Salle (8-4) had the better offensive showing after being limited to under 30 percent in the first half.  It was the best defensive effort by the Stags in a half this season.  Khristin Lee stole the ball and hit the layup in transition to give the home team a lead they would not surrender at the 12:34 mark.  It was only the second lead for the Explorers since the 12:37 mark in the first half.

Fairfield (2-9) was able to cut the deficit to four on two different occasions.  Felicia DaCruz was at the center piece in both runs.  DaCruz nailed her second three-pointer of the season to put Fairfield down four with 5:28 remaining.  The lone senior would also hit a free throw to make the score 60-56 with 3:17 remaining.

Defense controlled the early game with only a combined 17 points scored in the opening eight minutes.  The Explorers exerted a full court press from the first whistle which caused the Stags some problems from the perimeter.  All of Fairfield's first four baskets came from post players with Casey Smith, Helena Orts, and Kelsey Carey all contributing.

After La Salle took off the full court press, the Stags were able to play to their tempo for most of the stanza. 

The offense from both teams also increased.  The Stags had one of their best shooting halves of the season, shooting 64 percent from the floor in the first 13 minutes, and trailed for only three minutes in the period.  Fairfield would finish the first half shooting 52 percent.

Smith was the key figure in the run in the first half with 10 points, she connected on five of her first six shots from the floor and helped the Stags open a 17-9 advantage in the first half.

Kristin Schatzlein also finished with 10 points in the opening period.  The junior connected on a pair of long range shots, the only three-pointers the Stags hit in the stanza.  Conversely, the Explorers, who came in second in the Atlantic-10 in three-point field goal percentage, were limited to 22 percent shooting from behind the arc, and would also hit just two shots from deep.

La Salle shot only 29 percent from the floor in the first half, but were able to take eight more shots than the visiting side and Fairfield clung to a 28-23 lead going into the locker room.  The 29 percent showing was the best defensive effort in a half this season from the Stags.

Alicia Cropper carried the Explorers offense in the half, scoring 12 of the team's 23 points.  Cropper, who was named to the Preseason A-10 Second team, shot 56 percent from the floor while the rest of her squad was held to a 17 percent shooting effort.

Schatzlein would finish with 13 points, the ninth time this season she has reached double figures.  Samantha Cooper led the Stags with nine boards on the day.  Cooper had been averaging 6.3 rebounds in the last three games.  Cooper also had a career-high six assists.

Fairfield will now turn the page from their non-conference schedule which was the ninth most difficult in the country and look ahead to MAAC play.  Fairfield will open the 2015 calendar year at home on January 4 against Niagara.  Tipoff is at 2pm.