Box Score
Center Valley, PA, (January 31, 2005) – Senior Alyssa Antolick (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic) scored a season-high 26 points to lead the DeSales University women’s basketball team past #2 ranked Messiah College, 77-50, in a non-conference game on Monday evening in Billera Hall.
The Falcons (16-2 overall) entered last week undefeated and ranked #2 in the nation before losing to Widener University last Wednesday. MC was also ranked second in the country in points allowed at 45.0 points per game, but the Bulldogs (15-4 overall) won its 12th straight game at home and handed Messiah its second loss in the last three games by scoring 77 points including 42 in the first half.
A close game midway through the first half was broken open by the Bulldogs. Tied at 16 with 9:27 left, DSU used a 15-2 run to take a 31-18 lead as Antolick scored eight points and fellow senior Jen Netwall (Allentown, PA/William Allen) added five during the spurt. The lead grew to as many as 17, 42-25, before DeSales settled for its 15-point halftime lead.
In the second half it was more DeSales as the lead continued to grow reaching its peak at the 77-50 final margin. For the game DeSales shot 42.1 percent including 50.0 percent in the first half. The Falcons made just 30.2 percent of its attempts and turned the ball over 20 times in the game. DeSales also out-rebounded Messiah, 42-31.
Antolick turned in her best performance of the season adding nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks to her game-high 26 tallies. Senior Holly Liebl (Kutztown, PA/Kutztown) recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Netwall finished with 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three-point land. Sophomore Jenn Osborne (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic) and freshman Amanda Kuperavage (Port Carbon, PA/Nativity BVM) each totaled seven points off the bench.
Messiah was led by Eli Cook with 14 points and Amy Reed with 10 points off the bench including two triples.
DeSales returns to action on Wednesday, February 2nd as they travel to Drew University for a Freedom Conference game beginning at 6:00 pm.
