DOYLESTOWN (PA) – Delaware Valley College's Kim Vennera set a school single-game record with 43 points, but 18th-ranked DeSales University had an explosive first half and notched a 98-81, Freedom Conference victory over the Aggies.

The Bulldogs, who reached the NCAA Division III Sweet 16 before losing to eventual champion Howard Payne last year, improved this year's mark to 11-2 overall and 6-1 in the conference. The loss dropped Delaware Valley to 6-7 overall and 2-4 in the Freedom.

Vennera, a junior guard and 2008 all-Freedom second-team honoree, broke the previous mark of 40 that all-time leading scorer and Aggie Hall of Famer Jeanne Waznak set against Drew University in the 1997-98 season finale. Vennera also topped Waznak and Moira Donohue's total of 13 field goals in a game as she connected on 14 of 22 shots from the field, including a 6-for-10 effort from 3-point land. She was 9-for-10 from the foul line and also notched seven rebounds and four steals before coming out of the game with 3:34 remaining.

However, Vennera's effort was enough as the Bulldogs shot the new lights out in James Work Gymnasium, especially in the first half. They connected on 21 of 40 shots from the field (52.5 percent), including an 11-for-17 (64.7 percent) effort from 3-point land in the opening 20 minutes and took a 57-30 advantage into the intermission. DeSales cooled down somewhat in the second stanza, but did set a school record by hitting 13 treys in the contest.

The Bulldogs scored 15 of the game's first 20 points, but the Aggies fought back with seven straight – five by Vennera, to make it 15-12 with 14:13 remaining. However, DeSales scored 11 straight to ignite a 27-5 run that gave the squad a commanding 42-17 lead with 7:37 remaining in first half. Five different players put the ball in the basket during the spurt with Erica Sovak and LeighAnn Burke notched seven and six points respectively.

The Bulldog lead jumped to as many as 33 in the second half, but the Aggies outscored DeSales, 51-41, in the stanza. They were 6-for-13 from 3-point land, including a 4-for-6 showing by Vennera. She finished with 28 of her team's 51 points in the half. Jess Ruvolis finished the game with nine points for Delaware Valley while Brittney Zimmerman contributed eight points, a game-high 11 rebounds and three assists.

Burke, a preseason All-American and the reigning Freedom Conference Player of the Year, hit five treys and finished with 23 points and nine assists in 26 minutes of action. Kim Rarick added 20 points and six assists while Kaila Wiand poured in 11 points. Megan Bedard hit double figures as well as she came off the bench to notch 10 points.