Center Valley, PA (February 21, 2015) – Eastern University used a 20-2 second-half run spoiling the DeSales University women's basketball team upset bid as the Bulldogs fell, 73-61, to the Eagles in the Freedom Conference regular season finale for both teams on a snowy Saturday afternoon in Billera Hall.
Despite the loss the Bulldogs (14-11, 8-6 Freedom) finish the regular season as the #3 seed in next week's Freedom Conference post-season tournament and will get a rematch with these Eagles (21-4, 13-1 Freedom) in the semifinals on Wednesday evening with tip set for 7:00 pm at Eastern. FDU-Florham will be the top seed and will host Delaware Valley College in the other semifinal on Wednesday.
Sophomore
Morgan McCollian led the charge for DeSales on Saturday with a team-high 23 points and nine rebounds. Junior
Jen Napolitano was terrific off the bench with a career-high 13 points and a career-high nine rebounds off the pine. Senior
Mikelyn Mackavage added nine points and sophomore
Nikki Callahan finished with six assists in the loss.
Senior
Meghan Nowak led Eastern with 26 points and 12 rebounds.
Gina DiDomenico finished with 17 points, all of which came in the second-half,
Emily Lavin totaled 13 points and nine rebounds, and
Taylor Price also reached double digits with 11 points.
After Eastern led 5-2 early, DSU controlled the rest of the first-half using a 16-6 run to take an 18-11 lead and led throughout the remainder of the half with its largest coming twice by seven points and after a lay-up just before the buzzer by senior
Alex Suk, the Bulldogs ran to the locker room leading by three (34-31). The Bulldogs hit four three-pointers in the opening-half, while Eastern went 0-for-6 from outside the arc.
Both teams traded three-pointers to start the second-half and after DSU's third trey over the first four minutes of the second-half, DeSales led 45-41, with 15:40 to go.
Two free throws by Nowak quietly started EU's 20-2 run over the next 6:25 that turned a four-point Bulldog lead into a 59-47 Eagle advantage with 9:15 remaining. DSU was hurt by turnovers during the stretch, committing nine during the spurt.
DSU still had a rally left in them when Suk hit a free throw and a lay-up off an EU turnover and after a few empty possessions for both teams, McCollian scored in the paint to cut the deficit down to four points (63-59) with 5:15 left.
Eastern countered as a three from DiDomenico started a quick 7-0 run that pushed the lead back to 11 points and iced the win with another three at the 2:05 mark.
