BUFFALO, NY – The D'Youville University women's basketball team defeated conference foe District of Columbia, who came into the game ranked sixth in the region, at home on Friday night by a score of 80-61.
 
Jaelyn Vleer-Elliott (Waterville, N.Y.) dominated in the paint, posting a team-high 17 points and grabbing seven rebounds, along with two blocks and two steals. Stella Mollica (Shillington, Pa.) also turned in a solid performance with 15 points, six rebounds, and a team-high six assists. Anna Jankovic (Averill Park, N.Y.) and Brianne Moxley (Penfield, N.Y.) each turned in double-digit performances as well, with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
 
Vleer-Elliott got the scoring started for the Saints with a layup, followed by a three-pointer from Moxley to give DYU an early 5-2 lead. After the Firebirds went ahead 9-8, a layup from Morgan Giancaterino (Orchard Park, N.Y.) put the Saints back in front with 4:13 remaining in the first quarter. A mid-range jumper from Isabella Kostyal-Larrier (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) and a three-pointer from Sofie Fuglsang (Oberanven, Luxembourg) gave DYU an 18-13 advantage heading into the second quarter.
 
A steal and a close-range jumper from Vleer-Elliott put the Saints up by nine in the early going of the second quarter. After UDC drew within four, Moxley cashed in from three again to extend DYU's lead back to seven. An eight-footer from Mercy Lasu (Innisfil, Canada) gave the Saints an 11-point lead with 5:16 left in the second quarter. UDC was able to close the gap to five, and D'Youville went into halftime with a 35-30 lead.
 
Jumpers from Mollica and Vleer-Elliott put the Saints up by seven early in the third quarter. Jankovic poured in a three-pointer to give DYU a 47-39 lead with five minutes to go in the quarter. Kostyal-Larrier scored five straight points for the Saints to take a ten-point lead with 2:47 remaining in the third quarter.
 
D'Youville began to distance themselves from UDC early in the fourth quarter, after a layup from Vleer-Elliott and a three-pointer from Moxley put them ahead by 13. A jumper in the paint from Jankovic and a layup from Giancaterino made it 64-52 Saints with 6:17 to go. In the final four and a half minutes, DYU closed out UDC with a 15-3 run, primarily on free throws from Mollica.
 
The Saints' game against the College of Staten Island originally scheduled for Sunday has been postponed, with the rescheduled date to be determined.