Box Score PETERSBURG, Va. – A fourth-quarter comeback won it all for the Saints, as the D'Youville women's basketball team brought home the USCAA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship title with a 63-56 come-from-behind win over Saint Mary of the Woods College Thursday at Virginia State University. Sara Pfeiffer and Anna Jankovic paced the Saints in the win, scoring 28 and 10 points, respectively. It was the performance from the free-throw line that won it for the Saints as they outshot the Pomeroys 85.2% - 70.6%.
Tournament Notables
First Quarter Notables
- The Saints jumped out to an early lead, as Riley Riedel drained a three-pointer off a pass from Mollica at 9:13.
- It was back-and-forth from there, as D'Youville trailed SMWC 12-13 by the time the final whistle of the quarter blew.
- Jankovic led the way for the Saints with four points and three rebounds.
- Riedel recorded a team-high three blocks in the first 10 minutes of action.
- Pfeiffer was credited with three rebounds, while Haley Kirisits and Riedel each had two.
Second Quarter Notables
- The Saints and Pomeroys went head-to-head in the second quarter of action, but SMWC came out on top by the intermission, leading 33-25.
- Pfeiffer went 2-for-3 from beyond the arc to pace the Saints with a team-high six points in the second quarter.
- Mollica scored three points, while Jankovic and Riedel had two.
- Jankovic grabbed a team-high three rebounds. Riedel and Pfeiffer had two and one rebound, respectively.
Third Quarter Notables
- D'Youville and SMWC were evenly matched throughout the game, but the Saints continued to trail at the third quarter break.
- Pfeiffer paced the Saints in the third, scoring six points going 3-for-4 from the charity stripe.
- Mollica and Riedel grabbed a team-high two rebounds each.
Fourth Quarter Notables
- In one of the most exciting fourth quarters of the season, the Saints snuck past the Pomeroys and claimed a 63-56 win for the USCAA National Title.
- It was the work at the free-throw line that sealed the win for the Saints as they team went 15-for-16; with Pfeiffer going 12-for-12 in the final quarter of action.
- Jaelyn Vleer0Elliott and Jankovic scored four points each; while Riedel and Kirisits had three and two points, respectively.
- Riedel and Vleer-Elliott paced the Saints off the glass grabbing four and three rebounds, respectively.
What's next for the Saints…
With a young team this year, the Saints' future is looking bright. The team returns 11 players to next year's roster including USCAA All-Tournament Team member Mollica. Mollica also earned USCAA All-American Honorable Mention accolades, while Jankovic was named a USCAA Second Team All-American.
