Basketball

Delaware Valley 67, Roanoke College 55
Aggies Advance To Tournament Championship Game

ANNVILLE (PA) - Junior forward/guard Rachel Joyce scored 16 of her game-high 24 points in the second half as the Delaware Valley College women's basketball team opened its 2005-06 season with a 67-55 over Roanoke College in the first round of the Rinso Marquette Tournament hosted by Lebanon Valley College.

The Aggies will meet Lebanon Valley in Saturday's championship game (3:00 p.m.) as the Flying Dutchmen notched an 89-65 victory over Arcadia in the other first round match-up. It will be the first of two meetings for the teams as they are already scheduled to meet at Lebanon Valley on December 8.

Joyce was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field (2-for-2 from 3-point land) in the second half as she helped Delaware Valley outscore Roanoke, 38-27, in the stanza. She finished the game 9-for-15 from the field (4-for-6 from beyond the arc) and also grabbed a game-high eight boards in 37 minutes of action.

Joyce and the Aggies also made it happen at the foul line as they made 34 trips to the charity stripe, compared to just 17 by the Maroons. They went 14-for-19 in the second half along while Roanoke was 2-for-2.

2005 Freedom Conference Rookie of the Year Shannon O'Neill added 16 points, four rebounds and four assists for Delaware Valley while senior Juli McGowan reached double figures with 11 points.

Erin Hanson was the lone Roanoke player to hit double figures as she finished the night with 17 points and eight rebounds.