Three-Point Barrage Pushes Brandywine Into PSUAC Title Game

YORK, Pa. – Fourth-seeded Penn State Brandywine drained 15 three-pointers, including 10 during the first half, defeating top-seeded Penn State Lehigh Valley 82-70 on Saturday night to advance to the championship game of the Penn State University Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament.

The Lions, who advanced to the PSUAC title game for the first time since 2013-14, will face third-seeded Penn State Hazleton, a 96-61 winner in Saturday's second semifinal, on Sunday at 3:00 pm on the campus of Penn State York. Brandywine has won two conference titles during Head Coach Larry Johnson's tenure, most recently in 2010-11.

Against Lehigh Valley's zone defense, Brandywine attempted 39 three-pointers, making its highest single-game total since 2010. The Lions recorded only 37 two-point field goal attempts.

Nikki Velez (Gloucester, N.J./Gloucester City) led six Lions who knocked down at least one triple with five made shots from beyond the arc. She finished with 20 points, her 10^th 20-point game of the season, and added seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Brandi Johnson (Media, Pa./Strath Haven) added four three-pointers, netting 14 points, while Alyssa Abbonizio (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) buried three triples en route to nine points.

Brandywine also held a large edge on the glass as the Lions outrebounded Lehigh Valley 51-33. Brandi James (Glenolden, Pa./Interboro) pulled down 10 of Brandywine's 25 offensive boards and finished with 14 rebounds overall, along with 10 points. Chelsea Dent (Yeadon, Pa./Penn Wood) hauled in 12 boards, while adding seven points and six assists and Madison D'Ambrosio (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) coupled six boards with 16 points and three helpers.

Brandywine's first six made shots were all three pointers as the Lions ran out to a 16-11 lead in the first quarter. Lehigh Valley answered with seven of the next eight points before a James jumper gave Brandywine a 19-18 edge after one stanza.

Johnson opened the second quarter with back-to-back threes and James followed with a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 27-20. Lehigh Valley fought to within two, but Velez responded with triples on consecutive possessions and Johnson added her third three of the half, increasing the advantage to 39-31. Lehigh Valley held Brandywine without a point over the final 2:39 of the half, pulling within one by netting seven-straight points.

Lehigh Valley took a 45-43 lead on Hannah Bankes' three-pointer early in the third, but the lead was short-lived as James sank a layup 17 second later, tying the score, while starting an 8-0 Lions' spurt.

Brandywine began to pull away late in the third, using an 8-1 surge, capped by a D'Ambrosio free throw that swelled the lead to 10 points.

Velez buried a trifecta to end the third, added another triple during the Lions' opening possession of the final quarter and later gave Brandywine its biggest lead at 15 points with a jumper. Lehigh Valley put together a rally, closing to within seven at the 4:03 mark, but Dent halted the momentum with back-to-back jumpers. Brandywine connected on six free throws during the final 1:07 to secure the victory, its sixth semifinal triumph under Johnson's guidance.

Ebony Sanders posted 16 points and eight rebounds to lead Lehigh Valley, which entered the game having won all 14 games against PSUAC competition this season.

A victory on Sunday would give Brandywine (20-7) the conference's automatic bid to the USCAA Tournament (February 28-March 4 at Penn State Fayette).