BETHLEHEM (PA) – Delaware Valley University sophomore Danielle Skedzielewski recorded her first career triple-double and the Aggies connected on 13 3-pointers to defeat Penn State Lehigh Valley, 72-54, in the consolation game of the 14th Roosevelts 21st Greyhound Classic at Moravian College.
The victory earned DelVal third place in the tournament as they improved to 4-6 overall on the season. The Lions fell to 7-2 overall.
Several individuals had stellar performances for the Aggies in this contest, led by Skedzielewski's triple-double that included 16 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. She also added four blocks and a pair of steals. Sophomore Monika Smallwood recorded 11 points and 10 rebounds for her first-career double-double and freshman Sarah Wills contributed nine points thanks to a trio of treys, and she also grabbed eight rebounds.
Freshman guard Ashley Smink recorded her second-highest point total of the year with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field and 6-of-9 from beyond the arc. Smink was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts in which she totaled 42 points, six assists, six rebounds and five steals in the two games.
In this contest, Penn State Lehigh Valley started the game on an 8-0 run behind six consecutive points from Andrea Watkins. After a Smallwood free throw got DelVal on the board, the Aggies got hot from beyond the arc as Smink and Skedzielewski each hit consecutive 3-pointers to pull within one at 14-13 with 5:03 left in the first. Nearly three minutes later, Nicole Smythe connected on back-to-back jumpers and Wills hit her first trey to cap off what was a 13-1 DelVal run that put them on top, 20-14. Smink hit the sixth Aggies trey of the stanza for a 23-15 lead going into the second.
Wills and Smink connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to start the second quarter and increase the advantage to 14. The Aggies led by as many as 17 points in the stanza, but the Lions closed out the half with a 7-0 run to make it a 43-34 game at the break.
DelVal responded by started the third quarter just as it did the second with back-to-back treys from Smink and Wills. The two teams combined for just 23 points in the quarter and the Aggies maintained a 55-45 advantage into the fourth quarter. In that final stanza, DelVal hit twice more from downtown and outscored Penn State Lehigh Valley, 17-9, to take the consolation game by the final of 72-54.
The Lions were led by Watkins who registered 21 points, seven steals and five rebounds. Ashley Gordon contributed 18 points, eight boards and three assists while Ebony Sanders grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds and scored eight points.
The Aggies will tip-off the new year with their first Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom game when they welcome King's College to James Work Gymnasium on Wednesday, January 4 at 6 p.m.