BUFFALO, N.Y. – The D'Youville University women's basketball team rode a strong second half to a 66-57 win against Molloy University on Sunday at the Saints Center.
 
Senior Sofie Fuglsang (Oberanven, Luxembourg) and freshman Aliviya Vallone Russell (Buffalo, N.Y.) were the offensive catalysts once again for the Saints, scoring 18 and 17 points, respectively. Redshirt sophomore Megan Fedor (Elmira, N.Y.) also turned in a strong performance, scoring 14 points, and helped put the Lions away with nine points in the fourth quarter. Senior Anna Jankovic (Averill Park, N.Y.) was a force on the defensive side of the ball, grabbing 13 rebounds and recording four steals and a block. She also dished out a team-high five assists.
 
Vallone Russell came out of the gate firing, knocking down two three-pointers to give DYU an early 6-2 lead. An 8-0 run from Molloy put them ahead 10-6, but Fuglsang and Fedor responded with three-pointers to put the Saints back in front 12-10 with 2:46 remaining in the first quarter. Junior Morgan Giancaterino (Orchard Park, N.Y.) made a jumper in the paint with 34 seconds remaining, but the Lions took a 15-14 lead heading into the second quarter.
 
A three-pointer from Fuglsang and a layup from Giancaterino put DYU back ahead 19-15 early in the second quarter. Six-straight points from Molloy gave them the lead back halfway through the quarter. Giancaterino got to the basket for a layup to give the Saints a 22-21 edge with 1:39 left in the quarter, but the Lions went back in front 23-22 as the game went to halftime.
 
Fuglsang drilled a three-pointer fresh out of the locker room to make it 25-23 DYU. Fuglsang cashed in again from beyond the arc one minute later to make it 28-25. Molloy rattled off six-straight points to take the lead back 31-28. A layup from junior Isabella Kostyal-Larrier (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) brought the Saints back within one with 3:30 remaining in the third quarter. Vallone Russell gave DYU the lead back with a three-pointer with 1:40 left in the quarter. A steal from Vallone Russell led to a fast break layup for Giancaterino to extend the lead to four and Jankovic put in a layup as the buzzer sounded to give the Saints a six-point cushion heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Fuglsang sank a pair of three-pointers to begin the fourth quarter and extended DYU's lead to 49-40. Molloy fought back with eight consecutive points to pull back within one with 4:48 remaining. Vallone Russell answered back with a three-pointer, Fedor converted a pair of free throws, and Vallone Russell knocked down a mid-range jumper to make it 56-48 with 3:40 left to go. Then, Fedor took over, sinking a three-pointer, a mid-range jumper, and a layup to put the Saints ahead by eleven with 1:37 remaining. With 28 seconds left, Vallone Russell put the nail in the coffin with a three-pointer, and DYU went on to secure the 66-57 victory.
 
With the win, D'Youville improves to 6-8 in the ECC and move into fifth place in the conference with two games left to play. They will be back in action on Saturday, when they host crosstown rival Daemen University at 1:00 p.m. for their final home game of the regular season.