Buffalo, NY – The D'Youville women's basketball team ended their recent losing streak with a 61-53 win over the Hilbert Hawks on Wednesday evening.

Hilbert built an 8-5 lead halfway through the first quarter before the Spartans retook the lead less than a minute after an Ali Cochrane (New Port Richey, FL/Gulf) made three. The Hawks would then score six unanswered points to lead 14-10. CeDrice Howard (University Place, WA/Curtis) ended the scoring in the first with a layup and the Spartans trailed the Hawks 14-12 after one quarter.

Two made free throws from the Hawks made it an 18-14 game in favor of Hilbert with 2:29 off the clock in the second. The post play of Howard and Darian Evans (Brant, NY/Lake Shore) would help put D'Youville out front 20-18, but the two teams would continue to trade leads over the next several minutes. Every time that Hilbert would attempt to pull away, the Spartans would be right there to answer. With 1:11 left in the half, Jordan Smith (Hamburg, NY/Hamburg) made a layup to send the two teams into the half tied 26-26.

The teams would trade leads six times in the first five minutes of the third quarter, with D'Youville taking a 34-33 lead on a Howard layup. Cochrane would extend the lead with her second lead of the game and Monica June (Buffalo, NY/Hutch Tech) sank a pair of free throws to extend the Spartan's lead to 39-35. Jean-Ann Korona (Washingtonville, NY/Washingtonville) scored five straight points, plus two free throws from Hannah Simone (Rochester, NY/Bishop Kearney) gave the Spartans a seven point advantage after three, leading 46-39.

D'Youville's lead increased to nine after two Magan Magee (Ellenburg Center, NY/Northern Adirondack) free throws. Hilbert made it a six-point game with just over 8:00 left in the game, but about two minutes later the Spartans would go up by 12 on a Howard jumper. Down to a five-point game with 4:02 left in the game, D'Youville was again able to get back out to a nine-point lead with 1:04 left in the game and eventually close the game out by defeating the Hawks 61-53.

Continuing her major contribution to the team, Howard led the team with 15 points in the game, shooting 6-7 from the field and tied for the team high in rebounds with seven. Smith also had seven rebounds while Cochrane added six points. Korona added 11 points with a team high five assists and three steals.

Evans collected seven rebounds in the game with six points, while Magee also had six points on 6-6 from the line. Simone added nine points while Marina Campbell (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Catholic) also saw playing time. 

The women will be on the road for their next game, traveling to Franciscan on Saturday, February 8 to play the Barons at 1pm.