DOYLESTOWN (PA) – The Delaware Valley College women's basketball team opened the 2011-12 season with a convincing, 68-43 home victory over non-conference foe St. Mary's College of Maryland.

The Aggies never trailed in the contest and used an early 10-0 run to build a 15-5 advantage. They increased the lead to as many as 12 in the first half, but a 9-1 spurt by the Seahawks pulled them to within four at 24-20 with 1:55 remaining. The teams traded baskets before Brittany Battinieri nailed a 3-pointer with just four seconds left to give Delaware Valley a 29-22 advantage at the break.

In the second half, St. Mary's was within nine when the Aggies notched 13 of the next 15 points for a 46-26 advantage with 11:47 remaining. Freshman Brenna Coll had five points in the run while Battinieri and freshman Grace Mirack added three points. Delaware Valley upped the lead to as many as 27 before finishing with the 25-point victory.

Battinieri, who decided in the summer to come back for her final year of eligibility, paced the Aggies with 16 points as was 5-for-8 from the field, including 4-for-6 from 3-point land. She also added seven assists and five rebounds in 28 minutes of action.

Junior all-conference forward/center Emily Soper added 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots while Coll's first collegiate game saw her score 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting. She was perfect 3-for-3 from downtown. Fellow rookie Kaylin Ryan had eight points off the bench and Mirack added six points and seven boards.

Shana Lewis led St. Mary's with 11 points while Joanna Murray added 10 points and seven rebounds. Marche Pearson led the team with nine boards and also contributed four points.