ABINGTON, Pa. – Despite a strong double-double effort from
Alexis Wright, the Delaware Valley women's basketball team was unable to recover from an early second-quarter run, falling 89-73 to Penn State Abington on Friday night.
Wright opened the scoring with the first two points of the game and helped spark a 5-4 start for the Aggies.
Whitney Evans was perfect from the free-throw line to keep DelVal in front early. A brief four-point spurt by the Lions shifted the lead, but a timely three-pointer from
Ciana Feliciano put the Aggies back on top, 11-10. DelVal closed the opening quarter on a 6-2 run to take a five-point advantage into the second period, 17-12.
Jayla Rivera opened the second quarter with a three-pointer to extend the Aggies' lead to eight, but Penn State Abington answered with a 9-0 run to regain control.
Alexis Lease-Springer halted the momentum with a three-pointer, sparking a brief 5-0 DelVal run to reclaim the lead. The Lions, however, dominated the final six minutes of the half, outscoring the Aggies 21-4 to build a 42-29 advantage at the break.
Julianna Harris scored three points in the opening two minutes of the third quarter to cut the deficit to 11, 44-33. Penn State Abington stretched its lead to as many as 19, but DelVal responded by holding a 13-6 edge for the remainder of the quarter to trim the deficit to 12 heading into the final frame, 62-50.
Feliciano knocked down a three-pointer just nine seconds into the fourth quarter to pull the Aggies back within single digits. The Lions' sharp shooting proved decisive over the next eight minutes, as they built their largest lead of the game at 87-67. Late three-pointers from
Anijah Davis and Evans in the final minute helped DelVal close the gap, setting the final score at 89-73.
Wright led the Aggies with her third double-double of the season, recording 21 points and 10 rebounds. Feliciano and Evans also reached double figures, finishing with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Feliciano added a team-high five steals, while Wright recorded DelVal's only two blocks of the contest.
DelVal returns to action on Monday, Dec. 15, hosting Gwynedd Mercy in James Work Gymnasium at 6 p.m.
