This post was written by Hatchet staff writers Josh Solomon and Nora Princiotti.

With just over a minute left to play and his team finally down by single digits, women’s basketball head coach Jonathan Tsipis wanted a timeout.

He screamed and jumped up and down, trying to get the referees’ attention, but to no avail. La Salle would inbound the ball, graduate student Danni Jackson would get called for her fifth, and final, foul and the Explorers would be able to ice the game with free throws.

The end result: a 77-68 loss – the second straight home defeat for the Colonials, bringing them to 4-3 in conference play.

The achilles heel for the Colonials Saturday: Explorers’ junior Alicia Cropper. The guard was unstoppable all game long, exploding for 32 points off 11-18 shooting. Tsipis said he regretted allowing her to get into a rhythm “early on,” especially from three-point range, where she went 5-7.

“We gave up 77 points to a team that had been averaging in the 50s and that started with the confidence we gave them in the first eight minutes of the game,” Tsipis said.

After six lead changes in the second half, La Salle took the lead for good at the six-and-a-half minute mark. The Colonials had been held scoreless from the field for nearly six minutes in the second half. They picked up their defensive intensity, forcing turnovers, but couldn’t convert them into points, as the ball rimmed in-and-out on fast break opportunities.

A string of strong defensive plays from GW’s full court press finally ignited the offense, and with a floater from Jackson with 6:39 to go, the Colonials had pulled within one. It would force a La Salle timeout.

“Defensively I felt like in the second half for about a seven or eight minute stretch we were pretty locked in. And the problem was that was about it for 40 minutes today,” Tsipis said.

The surprisingly-hot Explorers offense, though, would eventually be too much to overcome. La Salle, a team that averages less than 60 ppg, shot nearly 52 percent from the field and an incredible 80 percent from three-point range to stun GW.

“We definitely could’ve stopped them, it’s more so on us on how we communicated and rotated during the game,” junior guard Chakecia Miller said.

Miller had a strong game, leading the Colonials in scoring with 14 points and adding four assists. While her team looked hapless at times, Miller played with determination and found ways to get inside and score.

“If I saw a lane, if it was open, I took it and if I saw my teammates I tried to find them the best that they could,” Miller said.

Sophomore Jonquel Jones returned after missing the Colonials last game with a right foot injury, but would score just four points over 16 minutes of playing time, due to early foul trouble.

Graduate student Megan Nipe appeared to be more comfortable since coming back off a knee injury. She would reach double figures for the first time since her return, putting up 12 points in 20 minutes of action.

Despite the late game antics and frustration, Tsipis would ultimately sum up his team’s loss pretty bluntly.

“When they really needed it, when we got it to one, they were just faster to the loose balls, they were getting to the 50-50 balls, they turned the offensive rebounds,” Tsipis said.

The Colonials will look to bounce back on the road against Massachusetts at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday.