LA SALLE showed it could punch above its weight when taking on Saint Joseph’s in the NCAA Division I Women’s basketball contest, falling just four points (64-68) short of an upset victory. While the 8-7 La Salle was a strong underdog against an 11-2 opponent, a trio of Australian sisters had an impact in the defeat. Backcourt senior Claire Jacobs put up a team-high in points, while freshman sister Mia Jacobs collected a double-double.

La Salle took an early five-point lead into the first break at Tom Gola Arena, but that soon turned around with Saint Joseph’s managing 21-15 in the second quarter to regain the ascendancy heading into the second half. Keeping that advantage open, they extended the lead out to five points with a quarter to spare. Claire Jacobs scored a game-tying basket 90 seconds in, but the work of Mackenzie Smith in that quarter for the Hawks proved too much, continually having the answers.

The match went right to the wire with Mia Jacobs with a successful layup as the time ticked into the final four minutes, but once again Smith had the answers to give the visitors a boost. A couple of free throws from the younger sister drew the Explorers to within a point, the same margin that Charity Shears did with just 12 seconds left on the clock.

A layup from Saint Joseph’s Talya Brugler proved a dagger to the heart a second later following a timeout, as Claire Jacobs missed a three-point chance with six seconds left on the clock. A quick foul to force Katie Jekot to the free throw line netted the visitors one of two, but it was enough with four points the margin and even a rebound from Mia Jacobs not providing enough time to go end-to-end, and La Salle had to settle for the heartbreaking four-point loss, 64-68.

Claire Jacobs finished with 17 points, shooting at 50 per cent from the field, and 60 per cent from inside the arc. She also pulled down seven rebounds, working off the boards well with her twin sister Amy Jacobs (two points, two steals and six rebounds).

The youngest Jacobs sister addition to the Explorers, Mia, collected 14 points – at 50 per cent efficiency – including two of five from long-range – and capped off the performance with a double-double of 10 rebounds. It was her first double-double of the season, as well as becoming the first Explorer in the 2022/23 season to achieve the milestone.

Brugler notched up a match-high 20 points for the Hawks, as Jekot came close to a double-double with nine points and 11 assists. Emma Boslet (11 points, nine rebounds) was the main answer to the Jacobs sisters dominance off the boards, while Smith only had the seven points but made an impact in getting to the charity stripe in 22 minutes on court.