ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Eastern University Women's Basketball (9-9, 4-3 MAC Freedom) saw an upset bid fall just short as the visiting DeSales University Bulldogs (14-4, 6-1 MAC Freedom) scored seven of the final twelve points in the game for a 59-57 win. Kay Wulah finished with 17 points, 15 rebounds, and seven blocks to lead an undermanned unit in the upset bid.

How It Happened:
Playing without top scorer Minika Glenn, who was out with illness, the Eagles needed each player to step up. To a player, they did. Down 7-6 early, Eastern put together a 13-to-3 run for a 19-10 lead late in the first quarter. Jaclyn Harris capped the run with a corner 3-pointer off a pass from Brynn Schmidt.

The Eagles held a 19-13 lead after one quarter. While the Eastern offense slowed a little in the second frame, the defense went to work. The Bulldogs went 5-of-21 from the floor in the period and the Eagles used a 14-foot jumper from Wulah late to go to halftime up 30-26.

Wulah had 12 points at the half. Avery Jordan scored all 13 of her points in the firs half to lead the Bulldogs.

DeSales cut the Eastern lead to 34-33 midway through the third, but Wulah connected from 3-point range to bump the lead back to four. Moments later, Da'Naziah Brown drained a 3-pointer from the wing for a six-point lead and Viki Kneis knocked in a jump shot for two more.

Kneis capped a wild end of the quarter with a driving lay-up after a steal to put the Eagles up 50-43 after three periods. She made 4-of-5 shots in the third and had nine points as the Eagles outscored DeSales 20-17 in the frame.

The Bulldogs scored the first nine points of the fourth to grab a 52-50 lead. Kneis tied the game with a pair of free throws, but the Bulldogs answered with four points in a row to grab the advantage in the game.

Down 59-57, the Eagles had three shots in the final 13 seconds but could not get a basket to fall.

Kneis had 15 points and Brown added ten points and seven rebounds. Samantha Shinkus led DeSales with 15.

Coach Houston Says;
"We played very hard today. We battled on both ends. We had some critical turnovers that kept us from extending the lead and we did not shoot well in the fourth quarter. We saw several players have to extend minutes and when you are playing a top team, that fatigue will take a toll."

"Kay had a monster game on both sides of the floor. She played with a attitude and showed it tonight. Saturday will be a big test on the road. We will continue to improve and focus on getting better."

Up Next:
The Eagles will play the next two games in Wilkes-Barre. They will play at Wilkes on Saturday before getting another shot at King's next Wednesday. King's, Misericordia, and DeSales are all tied atop the MAC Freedom standings with 6-1 marks. Eastern sits in the fourth spot at the halfway point of the season.