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Devils Defeat Spartans in Season Opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Thomas Aquinas (0-1) | 26 | 40 | 66 |
| Univ. of the Sciences (1-0) | 29 | 42 | 71 |
| Philadelphia, Pa. | |||
| St. Thomas Aquinas | Univ. of the Sciences |
|---|---|
| Pts: Sloper, Briana - 25 | Pts: Brianne Traub - 20 |
| Reb: Sloper, Briana - 9 | Reb: Brianne Traub - 11 |
| Ast: 2 Players (#05, #21 - 4) | Ast: Elsebeth Birman - 5 |
| Team Statistics | St. Thomas Aquinas | Univ. of the Sciences |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 42.6% (26-61 ) | 42.3% (22-52 ) |
| Rebounds | 35 | 42 |
| Assists | 14 | 13 |
| Turnovers | 18 | 22 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 18 | 21 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 8 | 8 |
| Bench Pts | 13 | 13 |
Replacing 80% of the offense from last season's 21-6 team is no easy task but the University of the Sciences Women's Basketball team certainly got their season starting on the right path as they defeated St. Thomas Aquinas College 71-66 Saturday afternoon at the Bobby Morgan Arena in Philadelphia.
The Devils entered the game as the underdog with the Spartans starting the season ranked 20th nationally in the Division II Bulletin's pre-season poll. Some early jitters however was not enough to undo the young Devils squad as they kept their poise and not only kept but increased their slim halftime lead in the final 20 minutes enroute to the win.
Freshman Brianne Traub (Eastern Christian HS/Wayne, N.J.) led four USciences players in double figures scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in her collegiate debut. Traub connected on 7 of 12 shots from the field and also added three assists a block and a steal. Thirteen of her points came in the second half. Junior transfer Elsebeth Birman (St. John's College HS/Silver Spring, Md.) added 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists. The Silver Spring, Maryland native also was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line.
Junior Carolyn Edwards (St. Basil's Academy/Huntington Valley, Pa.) and freshman Jessica Sylvester (Nazareth Academy/Trevose, Pa.) joined Traub and Birman in double figures with Edwards scoring 15 points and Sylvester coming off the bench to add 11. Edwards also added eight rebounds and had a pair of blocks. Sylvester shot 4-for-9 and had the devils lone three-point field goal.
Briana Sloper led the Spartans with a game high 25 points (9-19 FG) and a team-high nine rebounds. Shpresa Liharavec added 14 points. Bianca Kowgios and Sylvia Davis each had four assists to help set up the Spartan offense.
STAC opened up a 9-2 lead just five minutes into the game before the Devils rallied with seven straight points to knot the score at 9-9 Both teams exchanged baskets and then Sloper and Traub converted an "and-1" to keep the score even. Edwards's layup at the 9:36 mark gave the Devils their first lead at 16-14. The visitors again evened the score at 20-20 with just over six minutes left before the Devils went on a 7-0 tear, highlighted by Sylvester's 3-ball to take a 27-20 lead with just under four minutes left. STAC closed the gap to three at the break, 29-26, with a 6-2 run.
The Spartans scored four of the first six points of the final stanza to pull within one 31-30 before a 13-6 spurt by the Devils produced an eight point advantage 44-36 at the 12:47 mark. Sciences still led by eight 48-40 when the Spartans made another push, closing the gap to three with a 7-2 spurt, making the score 50-47 with 8:59 left. Eight straight points from the Devils followed starting with a jumper from Erica Simi (West-Windsor-Plainsbor HS/ West Windsor, N.J.). Free throws from Edwards and Sarah Hickman (Wilmington Christian School/Newark, Del.) followed and Edwards capped the run with a layup at the 6:06 mark, giving their biggest lead 58-47. It was the last basket the Devils would make. However, they converted 13 of 16 free throws down the stretch and make STAC could pull no closer than seven points the rest of the way until Sloper's basket with seconds left on the clock made the final score 71-66.
The Devils shot 42.3% (22-52) for the game, including a 50% (10-20) effort in the second half. STAC was slightly better, making 42.6% (26-61) of their shots. The Devils dominated on the free throw line, converting 26 of 32 attempts (81.3%) while STAC made just 11 of 21 (52.4%). The Devils also held a 42-35 advantage on the glass.
USciences will take on C.W. Post University on Sunday, November 13, 2011 at the Bobby Morgan Arena. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m.
