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Reading, Pa. (Feb. 21, 2009) - DeSales University (21-4, 15-1) scored 24 of the final 31 points including a 13-0 run to spoil Alvernia University's (17-8, 11-5) upset bid with a 68-65 win Saturday afternoon in Freedom Conference women's basketball action at the Physical Education Center.

In the last game of the regular season the Crusaders needed a win and a Manhattanville loss at FDU to jump to the second seed in the playoffs which start on Monday with a play-in game.  Alvernia is the third seed and will travel to #2 Manhattanville on Wednesday for a semifinal game against the Valiants who have handed the Crusaders two of their five conference losses this season.

Top-seeded DeSales will host the other semifinal against the winner of Monday's game which features #5 King's College at #4 Misericordia.  The final is next Saturday at the highest remaining seed.

Alvernia senior Ana Nieves (New Bedford, Mass./Greater New Bedford), who was honored in a pregame ceremony along with fellow senior Rachel Koerner (Bel Air, Md./Haford Tech), scored on a layup with 7:30 to play in Saturday's game to push the Crusaders lead to 14 points, 58-44, their largest of the day.

Sophomore Kelli McIntyre (Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain) fouled DeSales junior Kelly Magrann (Sinking Spring, Pa./Holy Name) on a 3-point attempt at the other end of the floor and Magrann made good on all three free throws--hardly surpising from the best free throw shooting team in the conference at nearly 75 percent.  DSU hit 9-of-10 free throws on Saturday including all eight in the second half.

Magrann followed with 3 on the next possession to cut the gap to eight points with 5:37 to play and Megan Bedard (Limerick, Pa./Spring-Ford) scored five straight to cap the 13-0 run that pulled the Bulldogs within one, 58-57 with 3:11 to play.

Alvernia sophomore Alex Velazquez (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) scored in the paint to stop the run, but Bedard's 3-point play tied the score at 60-all.  Velazquez found freshman Allison Toczylowski (Mantua, N.J./Clearview Regional) with a nifty pass in the post and the Crusaders went back up two, but DSU freshman Cherelle Simmons (Lancaster, Pa./JP McCaskey) answered with an off-balance layin.

Alvernia turned it over on its next possession and DSU senior LeighAnn Burke (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) hit a pair of free throws with 49 seconds lef to give the Bulldogs their first lead since they had a 22-21 lead back in the first half.

Alvernia regained the lead with a McIntyre 3 from the top of the key, her fourth of the game with 27 ticks left and DeSales took it back on a baseline inbounds play.

The Crusaders missed on a contested layup on their next possession and Burke hit a pair of free throws for a 3-point lead with five seconds left.  The Bulldogs had a foul to give, and did so with three seconds left and McIntyre's prayer went unanswered at the final horn.

McIntyre finished with a game-high 26 points and has averaged 28 in a two-game split with the Bulldogs.  Alvernia earned a 68-66 win in Center Valley earlier this season, the only blemish on DSU's conference schedule.  Velqzquez tallied her 11th double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds.  Magrann led the Bulldogs with 18 points off the bench.  Burke scored 14 and Simmons and Miller finished with 10 points each.

McIntyre scored 10 of the first 12 for Alvernia and the hosts built a 16-9 lead in the early stages.  DSU battled back to knot the score at 16-all and took its largest lead of the hafl, a four-point edge with just under nine minutes on the first half clock.  Alvernia erased that with an 11-2 run capped by a McIntyre 3 and took a seven-point lead at the break, 34-27.

Alvernia is at second-seeded Manhattanville on Wednesday.  Game time is to be determined.

DeSales 68, Alvernia 65