Tigers Win 12th Straight; Defeats West Chester, 72-61

 BOX SCORE


West Chester, Pa. - Senior Erin Mann (West Chester, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) recorded her fifth double-double of the season as the Holy Family University women's basketball team defeated West Chester University in a non-conference road contest by the score of 72-61 Sunday afternoon at the Hollinger Fieldhouse. 
 
Holy Family, ranked 11th in the recent USA Today/ESPN NCAA Division II National Top-25 Coaches' Poll, improves to 12-1 overall, while West Chester falls to 5-4 overall.  The win marked the Tigers' 12th straight victory. 
 
Mann led all scorers with 23 points after shooting 8-of-15 from the field and 7-of-11 from the free throw line.  She also recorded ten rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals.  Senior Ana Cruz (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) also scored in double-figures with 13 points, while junior Mary Ellen McCollum (Abington, Pa./St. Basil Academy) chipped in 11 points. 
 
Senior Kelly Brady (Ocean City, N.J./Ocean City) and junior Maggie Serratelli (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) each added nine points.  Brady also grabbed six boards.  Senior Molly Hanlon (Narberth, Pa./Lower Merion) led the team with seven assists.  She also scored five points, blocked two shots and tallied three steals.
 
For West Chester, senior Alex Lennon recorded a double-double as she led the Golden Rams with 11 points and ten rebounds.  Lennon also blocked four shots.  Fellow classmate Ambreelinne Ortman chipped in nine points.
 
With the game tied at 25-25 late in the first half, Holy Family used a 6-0 run to take a 31-25 advantage with 2:27 on the clock.  A pair of free throws by Serratelli capped the mini run by the Tigers. 
 
West Chester would respond and came within one point of the Tigers lead after Lennon scored the final basket of the half with :27 seconds til halftime to make the score 33-32. 
 
In the second half, Holy Family opened the half with an 11-2 run to take its biggest lead up to that point after a Brady free throw made the score 44-34. 
 
West Chester would cut the Tigers lead to five points (44-39) after back-to-back three-pointers, however Holy Family quickly responded and increased its lead to as many as 13 points.  A Serratelli jumper made the score 52-39 with 13:52 to play.
 
As the half progressed, the Golden Rams again cut the lead to five points but the Tigers, as they did earlier in the half, quickly swelled their lead back to double-digits on the way to the victory.
 
Holy Family shot 47.8-percent in the second half and finished the game shooting just under 40.0-percent.  The Tigers outscored the Golden Rams, 39-29, in the second stanza. 
 
Holy Family is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 5 as the Tigers travel to face Caldwell College in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference contest.  Game time is slated for 1:00 p.m.
 
 

- HFU -