BUFFALO, N.Y. (February 24, 2018) – The SUNY Delhi women's basketball team finished their season on Saturday where they would prefer to have it end: in a championship game. Facing host and top seed Villa Maria in the NIAC Championship, the Broncos came up on the short end of a 58-43 decision. Delhi concluded its best season under third-year head coach Vicki Andruszkiewicz at 17-13.
Camryn McDonald led the game with 18 points and 19 rebounds, reaching her 21st double-double of the year in just the first half alone. Samiaya Salley finished with ten points, as she and McDonald were subsequently awarded All-NIAC Tournament selections. In Friday's 86-68 win over Maine Fort Kent in the semifinals, Salley had scored 22 points, while McDonald had 19 points and 13 boards. Each were also accorded All-NIAC honors earlier in the week.
Kiera Holland added seven points, while Katie Herba had four points with 12 boards and Liana Garry netting four points to go along with a pair of rebounds.
SUNY Delhi shot 24.6 percent from the floor (17-for-69), while Villa Maria made 32.5 percent (25-for-77). The Broncos fared just 2-of-16 from 3-point range to the Vikings' 4-of-31, as well as making 7-of-10 from the free throw line to Villa's 4-of-7. The Vikings outrebounded the Broncos, 57-52, held a 32-18 lead in points in the paint and led, 14-5, in second-chance points.
After a 10-10 tie in the first quarter, McDonald drilled a three to start off the second quarter to put the Broncos ahead, 13-10. It would be their last lead, though, as Villa Maria outscored Delhi, 22-9, the rest of the quarter to lead, 32-22, at the half. Delhi got no closer than seven points of the Vikings' lead the rest of the way.
The Lady Broncos' 2017-18 season will go down as a historic year for the program. It marked the Broncos' first season over .500 since the school transitioned to four-year athletics in 2015-16. Armed with a young squad of one junior, five sophomores and three freshmen, Delhi began the year with four straight wins, including defeating Villa Maria, 89-85, in their first season meeting, and were consistently ranked in the top 15 in all eight USCAA Division II Coaches' Polls. Salley became SUNY Delhi's all-time career leading scorer with 1,127 points, passing the previous mark of 1,033 set by Jennifer LePinnet-Clark (2002-04). The sophomore guard was also just the second Bronco to reach 1,000 points, and the second to reach it in just two years. Salley was twice named an ACAA Player of the Week, and earned First-Team All-NIAC. McDonald earned both USCAA and ACAA Player of the Week honors, and was named the NIAC's Co-Freshman of the Year and a second-team honoree. Herba and Erica Cornmire also earned nods to the ACAA Honor Roll.