ST. DAVIDS (PA) – Freshman Erin Boyer hit a game-tying shot from well beyond the halfcourt line at the end of regulation and fellow rookie Brittney Zimmerman scored six of her team's 10 points in overtime as Delaware Valley College got back into the Freedom Conference playoff hunt with an improbable, 80-77 victory at Eastern University.

The win, combined with losses by FDU-Florham and Wilkes University leapfrogged the Aggies (11-11, 5-8) from eighth place to sixth place and just one game behind King's College (6-7) for the fifth and final playoff spot in the Freedom with three contests remaining. Delaware Valley will host King's on Saturday, February 14.

Last week, the Aggies let big leads slip away in losses to FDU-Florham and Manhattanville College. This time, they found themselves in a big hole as they were down 13, 39-26, at the half before rallying to take a five-point lead with four minutes remaining. Delaware Valley was clinging to a 67-66 advantage when leading scorer Kim Vennera picked up her fifth and final foul with 15 seconds to go. Bekah Roland hit two free throws to regain the lead for the Eagles (6-14, 2-12). With Vennera out of the game, the Aggies turned to Zimmerman but she missed a jumper, Roland grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 1.3 seconds remaining. She sank both free throws to seemingly seal the game.

However, after a Delaware Valley timeout, Missy Milanese inbounded the pass to Boyer to the right of her own free throw line. She took one dribble and launched a desperation heave from about 55 feet away just before the buzzer sounded. The shot hit nothing but net to send the Aggie bench into a frenzy and the game into overtime.

With three starters having fouled out, the five-minute overtime looked bleak for the Aggies and got even bleaker when Lizzie Wilson hit a trey for the Eagles in the opening 20 seconds. However, Delaware Valley scored six of the next eight, including four from the foul line by Zimmerman to go ahead 76-75 with 2:22 remaining.

Neither team scored for the next 1:30 until another Aggie freshman, Stephanie Kraemer, hit a jumper for a three-point advantage. Eastern cut that to one on a Mary Poole layup with 37 ticks on the clock, and the Eagles got the ball back after Boyer missed a jumper just 17 seconds later. Poole missed a layup of her own and Zimmerman grabbed the defensive board and was fouled with 9.1 seconds remaining. Delaware Valley had hit just 8 of 22 free throw attempts in regulation, but Zimmerman went a perfect 6-for-6 in the extra session including these two crucial shots for an 80-77 lead. Wilson was off the mark with her game-tying, 3-point attempt at the buzzer and Delaware Valley had the win.

Vennera finished with 27 points, eight rebounds and four assists before fouling out. Zimmerman's all-around effort saw her compile 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while Boyer ended the evening with eight points, including the miraculous 3-pointer at the end of regulation.

Roland was sensational in defeat as the rookie had 31 points and 14 rebounds. Hannah Tobin added 18 points and eight boards while Wilson scored 11 points and dished out 12 assists.