MADISON (Nj.) – Ashley Smink scored 24 points and hit a pair of game-winning free throws to lead Delaware Valley University to a 72-68 Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom victory at FDU-Florham.

The Aggies got back to .500 at 8-8 overall and improved to 2-3 in league games while the Devils fell to 6-10 and 2-3.

The game was knotted at 10-10 after six minutes of play, before DelVal closed the first quarter with a 12-2 run to take a an eight-point lead into the second. Smink had 11 of the teams 22 points in the stanza.

FDU-Florham began the second quarter with a 13-4 run, behind six points from Cayla Staggers, to take a 27-26 lead. The Devils outscored the Aggies, 20-12, in the stanza to send the teams to the halftime locker rooms deadlocked at 34-34.

FDU took a 42-38 lead early in the third quarter, but DelVal countered with a 9-0 run to regain the lead, 47-42. It maintained a three-point advantage going into the fourth quarter.

The Devils managed to tie the score at 56-56 with 6:44 left in regulation, and the action was back-and-forth the rest of the way.

With under three minutes to play and the Aggies trailing by one, Emily Kutskel kicked the ball out to Lauren Moretti who connected from deep to put DelVal up one, 64-63. On the ensuing possession, Raven Dowling hit a trey of her own to put the Devils back on top by two.

Smink tied the game at 66-66 with a jumper, but a pair of free throws by Kayla Croswell gave FDU a two-point lead             with 51 ticks on the clock.

Off the inbounds, Smink drove the lane and scored a layup to tie the score at 68-68 with 44 seconds to play. DelVal forced the Devils into a turnover and Smink was fouled, sending her to the line with 27 seconds on the clock and the score tied. The junior sunk both free throws to put the Aggies on top, 70-68.

After a pair of timeouts, FDU inbounded the ball with 17 seconds left in regulation. Sarah Wills forced a held-ball situation and the arrow favored the Aggies and, ultimately, secured the 72-68 conference victory.  
Smink hit four treys in the game and added a pair of assists, and Danielle Skedzielewski notched a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds to go with two steals and a blocked shot. Moretti chipped in with 15 points and a pair of assists and Kutskel hauled in 11 boards and finished with eight points.

DelVal shot 26-for-56 (46.4%) from the field and 9-for-18 (50%) from behind-the-arc for the game.

The Devils placed four players in double-figure scoring led by Dowling's 16 points. She added five assists, four steals, and three rebounds while Croswell dropped 14 points, six boards, and five helpers. Staggers finished with 10 points and eight rebounds and Jennah Roman scored 12 points.

The Aggies will host MAC Freedom foe King's College on Saturday at 1 p.m.