Center Valley, PA (February 3, 2011) – Sophomore Colleen Gavin and senior Lori Lidlow combined to score 47 points and grab 22 rebounds leading the DeSales University women's basketball team to an important Freedom Conference win, 66-62, over Manhattanville College on Thursday evening in Billera Hall.
Gavin recorded her third double-double of the season with 21 points and 14 rebounds on a 9-of-18 shooting night, while Lidlow poured in a season-high 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds, shooting 8-of-18 from the field. Junior Cherelle Simmons added eight points and eight boards in the win.
Senior Simona Gordon totaled 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds, junior Courtney Turner recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, and sophomore Janetta Arnold added 13 points off the bench for the Valiants.
The Bulldogs (13-7, 6-3 Freedom) rushed out of the gates tonight, opening up a 19-8 lead at the 9:45 mark but then went cold, missing their next nine shots and shot just 3-for-15 over the second portion of the first half as Manhattanville (12-8, 5-4 Freedom) climbed back into the game, tying the score at 23 and taking a one-point lead, 26-25, at the buzzer on a three from Turner.
Gavin and Lidlow carried DSU in the first half, scoring 21 of the 25 DSU points.
DSU started the second half just as cold from the field, missing its first four shots before Lidlow ended the drought with a driving lay-up after a steal. The Valiants however extended a one-point lead (37-36) at the 13:46 into a seven-point advantage (45-38) with 11:23 to play with Arnold doing most of the damage, hitting back-to-back three's.
An 14-2 run over the next 5:09 highlighted by a three from Lidlow and four points from Gavin quickly erased the guests lead as the Bulldogs took a five-point lead (52-47) at the 6:14 mark.
DeSales continued to lead, but by just one point at the 1:50 mark after a Gordon three-pointer hit nothing but net for the Valiants. Two Lidlow free throws pushed the lead back to three points, a missed by Gordon on the other end was followed by another freebie from senior Megan Montchyk, and after a three-pointer by senior Carey Hickey was off the mark on MC's next trip, Simmons came up big with a running jumper off the glass to push DeSales up six (63-57) with 31 seconds left.
A lay-up from Turner and a three-pointer from sophomore Taylor Wilson with five seconds left made it interesting down the stretch but two more Lidlow free throws with two seconds left iced the game for the Bulldogs.
DSU improved on its first-half shooting, canning 40.0 percent in the second half, while the Valiants struggled from the floor all game, shooting just 31.1 percent for the game.
DeSales will return to action in just two days when they travel to Delaware Valley College, a winner on the road over FDU-Florham this evening, for another important Freedom Conference battle beginning at 1:00 pm.