DOYLESTOWN (Pa.) – Sophomore Haley Keenan notched a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Delaware Valley University women's basketball team to a 54-48 postseason victory over visiting FDU-Florham in the play-in game of the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom playoffs.
With the win, the eighth-seeded Aggies advanced to the MAC Freedom quarterfinals where they will travel to take on top-seed DeSales University on Wednesday, February 23 at 6 p.m.
Halfway through the first quarter of this game, the Devils held an 11-7 lead after Tamyah Jones found Cassidy Miller for a jumper. DelVal answered with a 6-0 run to close the stanza thanks to four points from Keenan and two assists from Lauren Moretti.
A Jones layup early in the second tied the game at 13-13 and another layup from Jones 45 seconds later gave the Devils another two-point lead.
The game was knotted again at 16 apiece before the Aggies put together an 11-2 run to close the half. Jess Williamson sparked the run with a steal and score, Jenna Schiessl connected from beyond the arc, and Keenan scored four of her seven second quarter points as DelVal took a 27-18 lead into the halftime break.
Keenan and Moretti started the second half with a layup each to extend the lead to 13, 31-18. FDU quickly cut the deficit to single digits again with a 7-2 run capped by a Brielle Fedo trey. Moments after Fedo's three-ball, Williamson answered at the other end with a trey of her own to make it 36-25 with 2:24 left in the third. The two teams traded baskets the remainder of the stanza and the Aggies took a 39-29 lead into the fourth.
DelVal began the final quarter with a 10-4 run highlighted by eight points from Keenan who had numerous and-1 opportunities.
The Devils refused to go away as they put together a 9-0 run over just 1:31 of game time to pull with in six, 50-44, with just over two minutes left in regulation. Neither team scored over the next 90 seconds and the Aggies hit 4-of-6 free throws down the stretch to put the game away and secure the 54-48 victory.
Keenan's 26 points was two shy of a career-high and her 10 rebounds matched a season-best. She added six steals and two blocked shots to her totals while Williamson finished with a career-high 12 points and seven steals to go with two assists. Scarlett King came off the bench to contribute seven points, five rebounds, and a career-high four blocked shots.
FDU was led by Jones' 18 points, eight rebounds, and three steals and Cassidy Miller's game-high 15 boards, five points and three steals.
The Aggies will now prepare for their third meeting of the season against the league's best team, DeSales University who posted an 18-3 overall record including a perfect 16-0 mark in conference play.
