Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

NEWARK, DE -- The University of Delaware women’s basketball squad lost its sixth straight outing Wednesday night as the Blue Hens’ late charge couldn’t overcome a cold-shooting first half on the way to a 54-43 non-league setback to LaSalle at the Bob Carpenter Center.

Delaware (1-6), which has lost six straight for the first time since the 1997-98 season, got career-highs of 11 points from freshman Vanessa Kabongo and 10 points and six rebounds from guard Tesia Harris (at right), but couldn’t overcome 31.5 percent shooting from the field and 19 turnovers.

Guard Kyle DeHaven dished out a career-high assists and pulled four rebounds but managed just 1 of 11 shooting from the field before fouling out in the final minute.

LaSalle (3-3), which defeated the Blue Hens for the first time in the last five meetings, got a game-high 14 points and seven assists from guard Margaret Elderton and 12 points and six rebounds from guard Jamie Walsh. Leading scorer Carlene Hightower (20.6 ppg) was held to just six points - on 1 of 10 shooting from the field - and six rebounds.

“We didn’t play well tonight,” said Delaware head coach Tina Martin, whose young team has struggled from the field all season long, entering the game with a 30.2 percent team shooting percentage. “We’re not hitting shots and we have to snap out of it at some point. Hope fully that will be soon. We missed all kinds of shots plus we had 19 turnovers. That’s not the way to win a game.”

After Delaware jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first two minutes of the game, things went downhill from there. LaSalle reeled off 15 straight points and held Delaware scoreless for a span of nine minutes and 33 seconds. The Blue Hens committed seven turnovers during the span and misfired on 12 straight shots before Jamie Mundy ended the drought with a jumper with 8:13 left in the half.

The Explorers rolled to a 24-13 lead at the break despite shooting just 28.1 percent (9 of 32) from the field itself. Delaware hit just 5 of 24 first half shots (20.8 percent) and posted its lowest point total ever in a half at the BCC since the building opened in 1992-93.

The Hens refused to give in in the second half as they outscored LaSalle 12-7 over the first five minutes to cut the lead to 31-25 after a jumper by Mundy with 15:08 left to play. Delaware cut the margin to six points again two minutes later but LaSalle answered with a 14-8 run of its own to extend the margin to 12 points with 6:31 remaining.

Delaware made one last run before coming up short. Harris scored four of the Hens’ next six points, including a pair of free throws with 3:06 left that cut the margin to 48-42.

But that was as close as Delaware would get as Ashley Gale and Elderton followed with baskets to push the lead back up to double figures at 52-42 with 2:15 left. The Hens didn’t connect on a field goal over the final 4:28 in suffering the loss.

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