Center Valley, PA - In a season filled with remarkable achievements, the Southern Virginia women's basketball team wrapped up their campaign with a fiercely competitive and closely contested game against DeSales University, ultimately facing a tough loss with a final score of 42-53.

The Knights showcased their resilience from the very start, launching into the game with an explosive first quarter. Led by the dynamic duo of Addison Newman and Abigail Snyder, the team initiated an impressive 6-0 run. The momentum didn't stop there; Snyder, with the help of Foster, led the charge in another 6-0 run, pushing the Knights to an early 12-3 lead. Despite a slowdown in scoring towards the end of the quarter, both teams adding only two points each in the final minutes, Southern Virginia maintained a dominant presence, ending the quarter with a strong 14-6 lead, thanks to their outstanding performance in the paint. 

DeSales quickly closed the gap in the second quarter, sinking two three-pointers to narrow the Knights' lead to just two. Attempting to maintain their lead, the Knights' offense worked hard to keep pace with the Bulldogs. However, DeSales managed to draw fouls, earning trips to the free-throw line, and minimized their turnovers, which allowed them to tie the game at 20-all. The Bulldogs maintained relentless pressure throughout the quarter with a continuous press, disrupting the Knights' offensive execution. Despite these challenges, Southern Virginia managed to regain a slender lead before halftime, thanks to a pull-up jumper from Aysia Foster followed by a three-pointer from Maria Savvun, ending the quarter with a narrow 25-23 advantage.

At halftime, Southern Virginia had capitalized on their scoring inside the paint, shooting 42.9% from the field compared to DeSales's 22.6%, but they struggled from beyond the arc, shooting only 12.5% compared to the Bulldogs' 42.9%. Snyder, Foster, and Newman each led the team with six points apiece.

As the third quarter commenced, both teams exchanged baskets, but the Knights faced a setback when Kemper picked up a fourth foul, which provided DeSales with additional offensive opportunities. This allowed the Bulldogs to tie the game at 27-27. The Knights briefly fell behind but managed to reclaim the lead with a jumper from Snyder, pushing the score to 34-33. Following this, both teams experienced a scoring drought, with neither side managing a basket until Taylor Miyasaki broke the silence with a layup after a tense four minutes of play, ending the quarter with Southern Virginia narrowly ahead at 36-35.

The Bulldogs opened the fourth quarter with a burst of energy, scoring seven consecutive points fueled by back-to-back turnovers from the Knights. Whenever Southern Virginia attempted to regain momentum on offense, they were thwarted by DeSales, who tallied up to eight blocks thanks to back-to-back rejections. The Knights finally managed to put points on the board in the quarter with 4:38 remaining, courtesy of a layup from Kempler. However, they struggled to capitalize on these much-needed points and were outscored in the closing stretch, with DeSales securing the victory by sinking six free throws towards the end of the game.

Snyder emerged as the leading scorer for the Knights with 12 points, while Newman closely followed with nine points and contributed a team-high nine rebounds.

Southern Virginia encountered persistent foul trouble throughout the game, accumulating 25 personal fouls compared to just 12 for the Bulldogs. They also faced challenges from the free-throw line, shooting only 20% (2 out of 10), in stark contrast to DeSales's 71.4% (15 out of 21) efficiency. Despite these struggles, Southern Virginia concludes a remarkable season and looks forward to continued growth with their promising young core.

For the most up-to-date information and details about the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_wbb on Instagram.