BOX SCORE

Doylestown, Pa. (Jan. 29, 2009) – Alex Velazquez (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) is ridiculous.

The sophomore forward showed that in every facet of the game Thursday night at Delaware Valley College grabbing a career-high 18 rebounds and finishing two shy of a career-best in scoring with 30 points in leading Alvernia University (11-6, 7-3) to a 78-71 win over the Aggies (9-9, 3-6) in Freedom Conference women's basketball action at James Work Gymnasium.

Velazquez notched her seventh double-double of the season, a feat she accomplished prior to halftime with 15 points and 10 boards before the break. She was one of four players to dish out four assists on the night for Alvernia including one hook pass from behind the basket that led to an Allison Toczylowski (Mantua, N.J./Clearview Regional) layup midway through a pivotal 8-0 run late.

DVC took a four-point lead, 64-60 with six minutes to play when Rochelle Teesdale (Sewell, N.J./Clearview Regional) scored on a steal and a layup. Alvernia sophomore Lil Snyder (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter Strasburg) then hit what head coach Kevin Calabria referred to as the biggest shot of the game nailing her only 3 of the night from the left elbow. Three days prior it was Snyder from just inside the arc hitting a late tie-breaking shot in a four-point win over 22nd-ranked Muhlenberg.

Snyder rebounded a Del Val miss the possession after her 3, and Velazquez drove the baseline from the right side finding Toczylowski, whose layup gave the lead back to Alvernia. The freshman center followed with a free throw and another layup from sophomore Kelli McIntyre (Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain) that capped Alvernia's 8-0 run.

Del Val freshman Brittany Zimmerman (Lewistown, Pa./Lewistown) cut Alvernia's lead to one, 68-67, with one of her four 3s on the night with 3:52 to go, but Velazquez responded with layup from Snyder, and McIntyre pushed the gap to five with 2:56 to go also assisted by Snyder.

DVC scored on its next possession, but Toczylowski answered as did Snyder on the next possession to maintain the five-point lead with under a minute to play.

The Crusaders forced a traveling violation and Velazquez hit two at the line for the seven-point margin.

Toczylowski tied a career-high with 19 points and finished one rebound shy of her fourth double-double, and the Crusaders out-rebounded the Aggies 47-32 improving to 8-0 in games they win the battle on the glass.

McIntyre finished with 20 points for the Crusaders, her 10th 20-point game of the season and fourth straight. Kim Vannera (Norristown, Pa./Kennedy-Kenrick) led the Aggies with 24 points and 11 rebounds, Zimmerman totaled 17, and Jackie Shunkwiler (Levittown, Pa./Neshaminy) finished with 10 points.

Delaware Valley opened the game with four straight points, but Alvernia came right back for the first of 11 lead changes in the first 20 minutes. McIntyre and Velazquez went back-to-back and Toczylowski scored on the break to put the Crusaders up 6-4.

The next 10 minutes featured eight more lead changes with neither team holding a lead more than three points. After an Ana Nieves (New Bedford, Mass./Greater New Bedford) free throw that put the guests up one, Del Val ran off five straight for a four-point lead, 30-26 with 3:45 left in the half.

The lead was four after an exchange of 3s on the next two possessions and Velazquez scored four in a row during a 6-0 run that put Alvernia up one. Del Val got 1-of-2 at the line and McIntyre's jumper with 51 ticks left was the last score of the half sending the Crusaders to the break up three, 37-34.

Alvernia held a five-point lead two minutes into the second half, but Del Val went four 12 straight capped by back-to-back Vennera 3s. The lead was eight, twice as Zimmerman hit a pair of 3s, but Alvernia trimmed it to two on three occasions before Teesdale's steal and layup with six to play.

Alvernia returns to action on Saturday in a Freedom Conference doubleheader at Misericordia University.

Alvernia 78, Delaware Valley 71