Box Score (Doylestown, Pa.) – The Dickinson women's basketball team returned to action, opening the new year at Delaware Valley College on Sunday afternoon. The Red Devils held an early lead and were on top at the break, but the Rams rallied in the second half for a 62-54 win.
Both teams needed to shake some rust off in the opening minutes. They began to trade field-goals with Dickinson taking an 8-7 lead on back-to-back lay-ups from Kassidy Lesher (Shoemakersville, Pa./Hamburg) with 4:48 to play in the first quarter.
The Red Devils continued the run with Jennifer Smith (Short Hills, N.J./Millburn) returning to action, stretching the lead to 14-7, following scores from classmates Mary Martin (Honesdale, Pa./Honesdale) and Helen Roberts (Oakton, Va./Oakton).
Lesher started the second quarter with a basket and her fourth rebound of the game, and Smith buried a jumper at the seven minute mark to put Dickinson in front by double-figures at 18-7. The Rams then went on a 9-0 run to pull within two.
Martin broke up the run but Eireann Anastasi tallied an assist and scored to give the hosts a 20-19 lead, forcing a timeout with 3:49 to play in the half. Martin put the Devils back in front with a 5-0 run of her own while Smith dished out a pair of assists and grabbed a pair of rebounds during the stretch.
Morgan Mitchell scored for the Rams and Smith answered with free throws and back-to-back jumpers to close out the half with Dickinson out in front, 30-22.
Roberts scored twice to open the second and Smith put the Devils up by 10 at the 4:28 mark, scoring her 12th point of the game. Lesher added a lay-up and a free throw, and Mackenzie Skerritt (Hightstown, N.J./The Peddie School) scored to give Dickinson a 41-34 lead, with 2:06 remaining in the third quarter.
Kelsey Kilpatrick hit a three-pointer and Danielle Skedzielewski added a late field-goal to pull the Rams within two, 41-39, at the end of the third.
Anastasi was 8-for-8 from the line, heading into the fourth quarter. She tied the game on the Rams' first possession but Martin countered on the other end with a pair of free throws and a jumper to put the Devils back on top, 45-41.
The Devils looked to gain some separation as Mairead Donahue (Trumball, Conn./St. Joseph) finished an assist from Roberts but Anastasi hit a three-pointer and assisted Kilpatrick on another to knot the game at 47, with 7:05 to play in the game.
Martin crashed the boards for her eighth offensive rebound, scoring to give the Devils a brief two-point advantage. Skedzielewski hit two free throws to quickly even the game at the midpoint of the quarter.
Anastasi hit a jumper and two more free throws and Kilpatrick sank another big three-pointer to give Delaware Valley the momentum at 56-52. Martin traded field-goals with Skedzielewski to make the score, 58-54, with under two minutes to play.
Anastasi remained solid at the free throw line, hitting four more for the final score of 62-54. She finished with a game-high 27 points, going 14-for-14 from the charity stripe, adding four assists.
Martin led the Devils with a double-double, scoring 18 points to go with a game-high 15 rebounds. Smith finished with 13 points while Lesher was just shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Roberts tallied six points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
The Red Devils slip to 4-5 overall. They return to Centennial Conference action on Thursday, traveling to Muhlenberg College for a 6:00 pm tip-off.
