Box Score

DeSales used an 18-5 second half run to blow open a tie game as the Albright College women's basketball team fell 68-55 to the Bulldogs, Tuesday in the Bollman Center.

Senior Jenny Knoebel equaled game-highs for assists (five) and rebounds (10), while adding eight points. Freshman guards Tara Sabotchik (11 points) and Jessica Venturelli (10 points) were in double-figures for the Lions.

Down by eight at the break, Albright surged into the lead with an impressive 9-0 streak to start the second half. Knoebel drove hard for two, and Sabotchik followed up her own miss to make it 33-29 DeSales.

Venturelli then canned a three with the clock winding down and Boyle scored from the right side to put Albright ahead. DSU's Faith Gilbert finally stopped the run with a three pointer.

The Bulldogs' leading scorer, Sondrine Glovas, played just five minutes in the first half due to foul trouble (on the other hand, Albright's Meghan Boyle was on the floor for just eight minutes in the half after picking up her second foul). In the second half however the DSU sophomore was unstoppable, as she eventually finished with 24 points in just 24 minutes, on 9-of-16 shooting.

Glovas finished off two nice drives in a row to put DeSales up 41-36. Despite a tricky flip shot by Knoebel and a three from Sabotchik, the gap was still at five points when Glovas scored again on the fast break and then later made a three-pointer to put DSU ahead 53-41 with 5:30 remaining in the game.

DeSales had gone on a 15-3 run late in the first half to open up the game's first double-digit lead. Albright limited the damage and went into the break down 33-25 after a three by Sabotchik and free throws from Venturelli and Knoebel.

Early on in the contest, Knoebel fed Shawn Barczynski with a nice entry pass for a basket to tie the game at 2-2. Sabotchik soon drained a three to put Albright ahead 5-4.

DSU scored the next four points, but Boyle finished a nice post move and Venturelli completed a put-back to help Albright inch back into the lead. After the Bulldogs went ahead again, Barczynski answered with a spin move and Amanda Tiritilli found Venturelli on the fast break to put the Lions up 13-12.

DeSales senior Cherelle Simmons turned in a three-point play to put her side back in the lead, and then hit a jumper in transition to make it 17-14.

Simmons had nine points for the visitors. Colleen Gavin had 10 points, with Taylor Greene and Gilbert each dishing out five assists.

Albright falls to 3-8 and will host another Freedom Conference opponent on January 5 when the Lions welcome Wilkes University to Reading, Pa.