LANCASTER, Pa. – The Delaware Valley women's basketball team battled wire to wire in its Terry Greene Tipoff Tournament opener on Friday night, but a late surge by Ursinus handed the Aggies a 60-53 setback despite standout efforts from
Alexis Wright and
Whitney Evans.
After falling behind early, DelVal responded with poise. An 8-2 run sparked by the group of
Alexis Lease-Springer,
Julianna Harris, Evans, and
Anijah Davis flipped the score to 8-6 and set the tone for a tightly contested first quarter. Neither side could gain separation, and the teams ended the opening frame deadlocked at 13-13.
The back-and-forth continued into the second quarter. A strong drive from
Ciana Feliciano briefly put the Aggies back in front, but foul trouble allowed the Bears to reclaim momentum. Wright answered with a layup to nudge DelVal ahead once more, yet Ursinus closed the half with enough control to take a slim 26-25 lead into the break.
The Bears opened the third with a five-point cushion, but the Aggies punched right back. A 9-2 run—fueled by five points from Evans—gave DelVal a 34-32 advantage. Ursinus quickly pulled even, but Evans knocked down a timely three-pointer to halt their push. Wright added a personal 4-0 spurt to keep the Aggies in front before the Bears closed the quarter with a run of their own, sending DelVal into the fourth trailing by just one, 42-41.
Wright once again delivered to start the final frame, hitting a jumper to swing the lead back to the Aggies. But foul trouble proved costly, placing Ursinus at the line and triggering a decisive 13-2 stretch that opened a 10-point gap. DelVal continued to fight, outscoring the Bears 8-5 the rest of the way, but the comeback bid fell short.
Wright led all Aggies with 19 points and 13 rebounds, securing her second double-double of the season, while Evans delivered 18 points and three steals. Feliciano matched Evans with three steals of her own, and three different Aggies contributed blocks on the defensive end.
DelVal will close out tournament play tomorrow, Nov. 22, when the Aggies face host Franklin & Marshall at 3 p.m.
