PURCHASE (NY) – The Delaware Valley College women's basketball team clinched a spot in the 2010 Freedom Conference playoffs despite a 74-58 setback at first-place Manhattanville College on Tuesday evening.

It will be the second conference postseason appearance in the last three years for the Aggies and the eighth in the 14-year head coaching tenure of 1990 alumnus and Delaware Valley Hall of Fame Laura Hogan. Delaware Valley, which went 11-14 overall and 5-11 in the conference last year, will head into Saturday's regular-season finale at Eastern University with a 16-8 overall record and an 8-5 mark in the Freedom.

The Aggies are in fourth place and can still move to third with a win over Eastern and a Manhattanville (16-7, 10-2) win on the road at Misericordia. Misericordia clinched a postseason berth and eliminated King's from contention with Tuesday's 58-46 triumph. Two-time defending Freedom champion DeSales University will complete the four-team playoff field and either the Bulldogs or Manhattanville will host Delaware Valley next Wednesday, February 24 (time TBA) in a conference semifinal match-up.

The Aggies found themselves down 18, 37-19, with 6:45 left in the first half, when they responded with 15 straight points to make in a three-point ballgame. Freshman forward Emily Soper was dominant in the run as she tallied nine of the 15 while Sarah Delcasale, Jenna Peoples and Jackie Shunkwiler added two points apiece.

Manhattanville's Carey Hickey sank three free throws in the last two minutes to up the score to 40-34, but Brittany Battinieri hit a layup with three seconds to go to get Delaware Valley to within four at the intermission. All of Soper's first-half points came in the spurt and she also added 10 rebounds and two blocks in the stanza. Peoples notched eight points and four rebounds as Delaware Valley went inside to its two 6-foot-plus freshmen with guards Kim Vennera and Brittney Zimmerman in foul trouble (three fouls apiece). Simona Gordon led the Valiants with 12 points in the half.

Manhattanville quickly bumped the lead up to 10 in the opening moments of the second half, but a 3-point play by Soper made it 48-41 with 16:25 remaining. However, the Valiants outscored the Aggies, 23-8, over the next 12 minutes to take command of the contest.

Gordon finished with a game-high 22 points and added six assists and six steals as she helped force Delaware Valley into 25 turnovers. Courtney Turner poured in 19 points while Taylor Wilson had 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Peoples and Soper each had a double-double in the losing effort. Peoples finished with a team-high 14 points and grabbed 10 boards while Soper had 13 points, a career-high 15 rebounds and four blocks. Battinieri reached double digits with 10 points.