DOYLESTOWN (PA) – Delaware Valley College shot nearly 50 percent from the field and placed three players in double figures in scoring, en route to a 75-53 home triumph over Freedom Conference opponent Manhattanville College.
The win pulled the Aggies back to .500 overall at 10-10 but, more importantly, upped their mark to 5-4 mark in league play. DeSales University fell on the road to previously winless Misericordia University, dropping the Bulldogs into a third-place tie with Delaware Valley. The two squads will tip-off in Doylestown on Saturday, February 7 (1:00 p.m.), just two weeks after the Aggies posted a 67-65, road win at DeSales.
The Aggies jumped out to an early 14-4 lead on Wednesday and never relinquished the lead. Brittany Wood led the run thanks to a pair of treys while Eireann Anastasi and Brenna Coll had four points apiece.
The Valiants got as close as eight, 22-14, with 5:53 left in the stanza, but the Aggies countered with 16 of the last 24 points, including six from Anastasi to take the 38-22 lead into the break. The home team forced 11 turnovers in those opening 20 minutes and they led to nine points. The Aggies also shot 15-for-30 from the field, including 6-of-13 from beyond the arc.
In the second half, Delaware Valley extended the lead to 51-34 after a steal from Anastasi led to a Sam Foy layup with 14:41 remaining. Manhattanville strung together an 8-0 run as Bri Pabon had a layup and a deep three ball while Alyson Caiazzo finished the spurt with a three-point play that made it 51-42 with 11:18 to go.
Once again, the Aggies had the answer as they responded with an 11-1 run that saw all five players on the floor contribute. Delaware Valley remained in control the rest of the way as it cruised to its third straight home victory and its sixth overall win in its last eight contests.
As a team the Aggies shot 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from the field and 42.9 percent (9-of-21) from beyond the arc compared to just a 33.9 percent effort from the field for the Valiants, including 3-for-17 from long range.
Anastasi led all scorers with 18 points and she added seven assists and four boards. Coll and Wood each notched 15 points and combined for 10 rebounds in the effort. Shannon Barlow led the team with seven rebounds to go with six points and a pair of assists and Kelsey Kilpatrick came off the bench to earn eight points including two treys. Foy played 18 minutes and contributed seven points, three rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals.
Caiazzo led Manhattanville with a double-double of 15 points and 15 rebounds to go with three steals and a blocked shot. Samantha Milazzo came off the bench and contributed 12 points while Pabon added seven points, three rebounds and two assists.