DELHI, N.Y. (January 30, 2019) – It was a tale of two halves for the SUNY Delhi women's basketball team in their Wednesday night ACAA matchup with Alfred State. The Broncos jumped out to a 31-24 lead at halftime, but the Pioneers put together a pair of 20-point quarters in the second half, with 20 in the third and 24 in the fourth, that sent Delhi to a 68-59 defeat. The women were handed their first ACAA defeat of the season through four games, and stand now at 11-8.
For the sixth time in the last seven games, guards Samiaya Salley and Kiera Holland finished as the team's top scorers, with Salley netting 25 points with five rebounds and Holland 23 with seven boards. Salley hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter for ten points to get Delhi off to a good start with a 16-10 lead after one. Holland then powered through for nine points in the second quarter to guide the team to the seven-point halftime advantage. The Broncos began the third quarter staving off an Alfred State threat. Ahead just 37-36, Delhi strung together seven straight points to bump its lead to 44-36 with 3:37 to go in the third. But the Pioneers came back again, going on an 8-0 run to finish out the quarter, tied at 44-44.
The fourth quarter began as a back-and-forth power struggle. With the game tied at 54-54 with less than five minutes to go, Pioneer Kelsey Shaulis put the visitors ahead with a three. Salley stepped in on Delhi's ensuing possession with a jumper to cut the lead to one, but Alfred State responded with nine straight points, with Salley's sixth and final 3-pointer making up the Broncos' remaining points.
Delhi made 28.4 percent (21-for-74) and 7-of-26 threes, while Alfred State connected on 36.4 percent (28-for-77) and 3-of-17 from behind the arc. While the Broncos held a 51-49 edge in rebounds, it would be the Pioneers who won out with a 32-18 lead in points in the paint, and converting 18 Delhi turnovers into a 22-15 lead in points off turnovers.
Diana Echols had seven points with a game-high 13 rebounds, while Katelyn Lewis had two points with nine boards and Brenna Gioffe two points with five rebounds. Holland totaled her eighth 20-point game of the season, as Salley recorded her seventh.
With five regular season games to play, head coach Courtney Hoyt's team's next venture will be at ACAA-opponent Valley Forge on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Following another road contest at Purchase on Monday at 7:00 p.m., the Broncos will be back home next Wednesday, Feb. 6 with Cazenovia at 7:00 p.m. when SUNY Delhi celebrates Gold Night. First 500 fans receive a free gold t-shirt, courtesy of SUNY Delhi Health and Counseling Services, Student Senate, and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
