DOYLESTOWN (PA) – Junior guard Eireann Anastasi scored 14 points and became the 15th player in Delaware Valley College women's basketball history to reach the 1,000-point plateau for a career as the Aggies won their second straight Freedom Conference game with a 65-48 triumph over visiting Wilkes University.
It was the third overall victory in a row for Delaware Valley, which improved to 7-8 on the season, including a 2-2 mark in the Freedom. The Aggies will put that streak on the line on Wednesday, January 21 when they host defending Division III national champion FDU-Florham. The Devils have won 48 consecutive games as they went a perfect 33-0 last year and are 15-0 on the current campaign. Delaware Valley handed FDU-Florham its last regular-season loss with a 69-67 triumph in Madison, New Jersey on February 16, 2013.
Anastasi entered Saturday's contest needing three points to reach the coveted milestone. She missed her first two shots before draining a jumper inside the 3-point land with 14:08 to go. It gave the Aggies six points in a row and the lead for good after the Lady Colonels (6-6, 2-2) scored the first four points of the contest.
Agatha Drozd followed with her second trey of the game, off an assist from Anastasi and a 9-4 lead. Wilkes turned the ball over and it eventually went to Anastasi at the top of the key. She swished the 3-pointer with 13:08 left in the half for the milestone and a 12-4 advantage.
Wilkes scored the next five points before Delaware Valley answered with a 15-5 spurt and a 27-14 advantage with 6:35 remaining before the intermission. Brittany Wood led the run with six points while Sam Foy came off the bench to pour in four. The Aggies wound up taking a 38-24 lead into the break.
The Lady Colonels opened the second stanza with six of the first seven points, including four from Cara Basile, to get its deficit to single digits. Later in the half, they pulled to within eight at 44-36, but the Aggies erupted for a 15-3 run, including seven from Drozd, and a commanding 59-39 advantage with 6:09 to go. They cruised the rest of the way.
Anastasi added five assists, five steals and four rebounds to go along with her 14 points. Brenna Coll, who reached the 1,000-point plateau last season, led Delaware Valley with 16 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. Drozd finished with 13 points while Wood had nine points and five boards.
Wilkes, which shot just 29 percent from the field, was led by Basile's 13 points. Chelsea Brown had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Elena Stambone, the Lady Colonels' leading scorer (16.8 avg) was held to just 2-for-10 shooting and finished with five points.