CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Turnovers and shooting struggles prevented the Ursinus College women's basketball team from getting over the hump in a non-conference tilt at DeSales this evening, as the Bulldogs never trailed after the opening minute and held on for a 65-56 victory in the Bears' first action in more than three weeks.
In hibernation since a win against Lancaster Bible on December 12, Ursinus (5-5) scored the game's first points on a layup by senior guard Alyssa Polimeni (Berkeley Heights, N.J./Governor Livingston Regional). But DeSales (7-4) scored the next four points and would not fall behind again, leading by as much as 11 (20-9) in the first frame. The Bulldogs' margin grew as large as 16 and never dipped below six from there.
Senior forward Jessica Porada (Morristown, N.J./Morris Catholic) paced the Bears with 18 points, while Polimeni offered 11 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in a customarily well-balanced effort. Senior forward Elana Roadcloud (Roslyn, Pa./Springside School), the Centennial Conference rebounding leader, grabbed a career-best 14 caroms.
Ursinus made a couple big pushes in the second half, the first a 13-2 spurt that got the Red and Gold within 44-38 at the 3:01 mark of the third quarter. Porada started the rally with a jumper and Polimeni capped it with four straight free throws, but a three-point play by Morgan McCollian settled the Bulldogs.
The hosts led 53-40 in the first minute of the fourth, but Ursinus closed to within seven (57-50) with 2:53 to play after senior forward Caroline Shimrock (Lansdale, Pa./Gwynedd-Mercy Academy) buried a 3-pointer. McCollian played run-stopper again, scoring the next five DeSales points to keep the Bears on the short end.
McCollian, who came in leading the MAC Freedom Conference in scoring, went just over her season average to post 18 points, though the Bears held her well below her rebounding standard (10.4), as she finished with just four. The Bulldogs, who rank inside the top 25 in Division III in assist to turnover ratio, committed only ten miscues, while the Bears coughed it up 22 times to facilitate a 25-11 deficit in points off turnovers. DeSales also held a 16-0 advantage in fast-break points to offset a 10-of-22 effort (45.5%) at the line.
Roadcloud's rebounding prowess highlighted a 42-34 surplus in that category for the Bears, who shot just 33.3 percent from the field (18 of 54). She added six points, and junior guard Olivia Kane (Springfield, Pa./Springfield Delco) made three 3-pointers for a season-high nine points. Ursinus grabbed 15 offensive rebounds and went 16 for 19 (84.2%) from the charity stripe.
The women's basketball team puts its unbeaten Centennial Conference mark on the line on Thursday, January 7, at Washington College.