Box Score PURCHASE (NY) – The Delaware Valley University women's basketball team posted its fourth straight victory with a 65-57 decision at Manhattanville College in a Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom matchup on Wednesday.
The Aggies took over sole possession of third place in the conference with the win. They are 10-10 overall with a 6-3 MAC Freedom record. The Valiants fell back to fourth place with a 5-4 conference mark and they are 13-6 overall. There are five games remaining in the regular season and the top four teams qualify for the MAC Freedom Championship Tournament.
It was a back-and-forth affair for much of the night with five ties and eight lead changes. After DelVal recorded the opening basket, Manhattanville rattled off eight of the next 10 points for an 8-4 lead (6:14). Trailing 13-9, the Aggies went on a 7-2 run to take a 16-15 edge with 34 seconds to go in the first. Senior
Eireann Anastasi had four points and freshman
Danielle Skedzielewski registered the other three.
The Valiants responded with a 9-2 stretch to go ahead by six (24-18) with 6:22 left in the second. Bri Pabon tallied four points, Ashley Raaf produced three and Ashley Franklin made a layup. The score was 29-23 with 3:35 on the clock and then Delaware Valley posted nine straight points and ended the half with a 13-4 run to lead 36-33 at the break. In the final three-plus minutes, freshman
Brianna Rivello totaled six points, Anastasi had four and senior
Kelsey Kilpatrick sank a three-pointer. Anastasi had 17 points and Raaf followed with 14 at the intermission.
The teams battled for the advantage for the majority of the third quarter, with neither team holding more than a five-point lead. DelVal was ahead by one (47-46) with 1:17 remaining in the period. The Aggies then gave themselves some breathing room with 11 straight points, holding a 58-46 margin with 6:45 left in the fourth. Junior
Sam Foy and Anastasi both had four points and Kilpatrick drilled another three. A 7-1 Manhattanville surge with under four minutes to go got the Valiants within six (61-55) but Anastasi and Skedzielewski both converted a pair of free throws to ice the win.
Anastasi ended the contest with a game-high 23 points. She added five rebounds, five assists and four steals. Foy and Rivello had 12 and 11 points respectively. Foy also corralled nine rebounds and made three steals. Kilpatrick and Skedzielewski chipped in with nine points apiece. Kilpatrick grabbed six boards, dished five assists and recorded five steals. She made three shots from beyond the arc, which moved her into seventh place on the all-time list with 150. Skedzielewski tallied five rebounds.
Raaf led the Valiants with 22 points. She also had five steals. Pabon finished the game with 15 points. Franklin corralled eight rebounds while Candice Scott-Mason, Kayleah McGuire and Joiada Darnell grabbed seven, six and five respectively.
Delaware Valley visits DeSales University for a conference game on Saturday, February 6 (1:00 p.m.).
