Women's Basketball 2/21/2009 8:04:10 PM BJ Spigelmyer - DeSales SID

Defensive Stops Propel #24 DeSales to Comeback Win at Alvernia

Junior Kelly Magrann celebrated a day after her 21st birthday with a career-high 18 points in the win over Alvernia on Saturday.

Box Score

BOX SCORE

Reading, PA (February 21, 2009) – All game long you could hear Head Coach Fred Richter pleading for his team to get some defensive stops and eventually the #24 DeSales University women's basketball team did and the Bulldogs used those stops to out-score Alvernia University, 24-7, over the final six minutes to earn a 68-65 come-from-behind win in the final Freedom Conference game of the regular season on Saturday afternoon at the Physical Education Center.

The Bulldogs put on the defensive clamps over the final 7:20 holding AU to just 3-for-11 (27.3%) shooting during that span and DSU found its offensive touch off those defensive stops scoring several buckets in transition to record a big comeback win on the final day of the regular season.

Junior Kelly Magrann (Sinking Spring, PA/Holy Name) started the run on the offensive end with six straight points on three free throws, after she was fouled on a three-point attempt, and a three-pointer from the left wing on the very next possession cutting a 58-44 deficit to an eight-point game with 5:37 to go.

Junior Caitlin Miller (Fogelsville, PA/Northwestern Lehigh) made it a six-point game on the very next possession with an excellent base-line drive and freshman Megan Bedard (Limerick, PA/Spring-Ford) hit a three-pointer a minute later to pull the Bulldogs within three points, 58-55, with 3:55 to go.

DSU continued to get defensive stops and in transition got within one point when Bedard drove the lane and hit a lay-up with 3:11 left. Sophomore Alexandra Velazquez ended the scoring drought for the Crusaders with a nice driving lay-up and after consecutive misses by both teams, Bedard answered on the next possession with an off-balance lay-in in transition and connected on the free throw that came with the bucket to tie the game at 60 with just over two minutes left.

Velazquez found freshman Allison Toczylowski for a lay-up on the other end to give AU the lead back with 1:53 to go but freshman Cherelle Simmons (Lancaster, PA/J.P. McCaskey) hit a sensational running lay-up on the left baseline while falling to the ground to re-tie the game with 1:34 left.

After a Crusader turnover on the other end, senior LeighAnn Burke (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Ryan) was fouled at the top of the key sending the All-American to the line for a one-and-one. She knocked down both freebies hitting nothing but net each time giving DSU its first lead since mid-way thru the first half but sophomore Kelli McIntyre hit a back-breaking three-pointer from the top of the key to give Alvernia the lead back, 65-64, with 29 ticks remaining.

After a DeSales timeout Miller got the ball in the post, took two dribbles to left and hit a driving lay-up with 16 seconds left giving the Bulldogs a 66-65 advantage. AU's Julie Hahn came up just short on a baseline drive on the other end and Miller was there to grab the rebound. She got the ball to Burke who was fouled in the backcourt with five seconds left. She hit both free throws again pushing the lead to three points and McIntyre's half-court heave after consecutive timeouts hit the top of the backboard setting the final score.

AU started the game red hot hitting their first five shots and opened up a 16-7 lead before DSU scored 13 straight points to lead 20-16. The Bulldogs then went cold from the field shooting just 12-of-40 (30.0%) in the opening half to trail by seven points (34-27) at the break. The cold shooting continued over the first 12 minutes of the second half as the Crusaders methodically built its largest lead of the game, 14 points, at the 7:20 mark before the game-ending spurt started.

Magrann came off the bench to score a career-high 18 points, picking up the scoring slack for senior guard Kim Rarick (Ringtown, PA/North Schuylkill) who missed her first career game with a hand injury. Burke had a tough shooting afternoon but had an excellent all-around game finishing with 14 points, eight assists, and five steals.

Miller and Simmons each had 10 points and combined to grab 15 rebounds, while Bedard finished with eight points, all coming over the final 7:20 of the game, and dished out there assists in the win.

McIntyre finished with a game-high 26 points, 17 of which came during the first half. Velazquez also played well finishing with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists.

The Bulldogs finish the regular season with a 21-4 overall record and a 15-1 mark in the Freedom Conference. The Bulldogs are the #1 seed in the Freedom Conference playoffs and will host the winner of the Misericordia University/King's College game being played on Monday. The semifinal game will take place in Billera Hall and will start at 6:00 pm on Wednesday night.

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