Box Score BOX SCORE
Center Valley, Pa. (February 9, 2008) – Sophomore Caitlin Miller (Fogelsville, PA/Northwestern Lehigh) and junior Erica Sovak (Tuxedo, NY/George F. Baker) combined for 29 points and nine rebounds to lead the DeSales University women's basketball team past Manhattanville College, 78-58, in a Freedom Conference game on Saturday afternoon in Billera Hall.
The Bulldogs improve to 19-3 overall and 8-1 in the Freedom Conference with the win, while the Valiants fall to 9-11 overall and 2-7 in the Freedom. DeSales moves to a perfect 12-0 at home this after shooting a season-best 55.9 percent from the floor and out-rebounded Manhattanville, 34-26, in the win.
DSU controlled the game from the very first tip opening up a 12-2 lead over the first five minutes as five different players scored including senior Amanda Kuperavage (Port Carbon, PA/Nativity BVM) with four points. Leading by six, 14-8, at the 12:24 mark, the Bulldogs used a 21-5 run to open up their largest lead of the half (22 points – 35-13) at the 2:39 mark before settling for a 35-18 halftime lead.
DSU shot 53.3 percent from the field in the opening half as a balanced scoring attack was led by Miller with 10 points and junior Kim Rarick (Ringtown, PA/North Schuylkill) with eight tallies.
The second-half was just more DeSales as they bettered its first-half shooting by canning 58.6 percent and led by as many as 33 points, 61-28, before the final 20-point margin was posted.
Miller equaled her career-high with a game-high 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Sovak came off the bench to score 13 points and grabbed five rebounds, while Rarick finished with 13 points, four assists and three steals. Junior LeighAnn Burke (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Ryan) also played well finishing with 11 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks in the win.
Senior Jenna Stampf (Nazareth, PA/Notre Dame) added eight points and four rebounds off the bench and sophomore Kaila Wiand (Royersford, PA/Spring-Ford) finished with a game-high six assists for the Bulldogs.
Junior Olivia Nastasi led the Valiants with a team-high 11 point and fellow junior Jess Delagrange added 10 points as the lone double figure scorers in the loss.
DeSales begins an important week by traveling to Delaware Valley College on Wednesday evening before they host FDU-Florham in a rematch of its lone Freedom Conference loss of the season on Saturday. The game on Wednesday will begin at 6:00 pm and for those unable to attend you can follow the game's progress online via LIVE stats at the following link – HERE.
