Center Valley, PA (November 14, 2015) – Freshman Leandra Sterner scored a game-high 23 points and hit five three-pointers leading the DeSales University women's basketball team past Widener University, 84-66, in the opening game of the 2015-16 season and the Morgan Stanley (Easton Office) Tip-Off Tournament held in Billera Hall.
 
DSU (1-0) will take on the University of Scranton, a 59-53 winner in the other day one game over The College of New Jersey, in the championship game of the tournament on Sunday beginning at 4:00 pm.  Widener and TCNJ will meet in the consolation game at 2:00 pm.
 
The Bulldogs shot well from the field all afternoon in the win over the Pride (0-1).  Consecutive three-pointers from both Sterner and senior Jen Napolitano early in the first quarter gave DSU a commanding 22-7 lead with just under three minutes to go in the first quarter.
 
Widener got within five at the end of the first quarter and pulled to within eight once in the second quarter before a quick 7-0 run on two more three's from Sterner pushed the lead back to 15 and DSU led 40-26 at the half.
 
The second-half was all DeSales as Widener never got any closer than 12 points late in the third quarter when DSU had the answer yet again quickly pushing the margin back to 20 points on two three's from freshman Katie Miller and the Bulldogs cruised in the fourth quarter.
 
Sterner finished the game shooting 9-of-17 from the field and 5-for-9 from beyond the arc.  She added six rebounds in the win.  Junior Morgan McCollian was nearly perfect from the field (8-10), finishing with 16 points and just one board shy of a double-double.  Miller added 10 points and a team-high six assists and Napolitano had 11 points off the pine.
 
Junior Nicole Umbenhauer had an outstanding game off the bench with nine points and four rebounds in 15 minutes of action.