Division II Mansfield Tops Brandywine In Season Opener

MEDIA, Pa. -- The Penn State Brandywine women's basketball team opened the 2016-17 season with an 86-61 setback at the hands of NCAA Division II Mansfield on Tuesday night.

The Mountaineers jumped on the Lions early, scoring the game's first 11 points before Brandywine battled back.  Nikki Velez (Gloucester, N.J./Gloucester City) put the Lions on the board with a three-pointer and later added another triple during a 10-3 Brandywine run to help bring the Lions within six after one quarter.

Mansfield pushed the lead back to double figures with the first four points of the second quarter and would grow its edge to 15 points before Chelsea Dent (Yeadon, Pa./Penn Wood) sank a layup and a free throw just before the halftime buzzer, making the score 36-24 at the break.

Brandywine continued to battle, closing the deficit to nine on Dent's bucket at the 6:40 mark of the third quarter, but Mansfield finished the stanza with seven-straight points as its lead ballooned to 19. A Velez three-pointer, her fourth of the game, made the score 58-46 with just over six minutes to play; however, that is as close as the Lions would get the rest of the way.

Velez paced the Lions with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting (4-of-8 3PT) and added three steals, while Kendra Stanford (Philadelphia, Pa./William Bodine) chipped in 11 points, five rebounds and two steals during the duo's collegiate debuts.

Brandywine, which shot 39 percent (22-56) from the field, also received 14 points and a team-high six rebounds from Brandi James (Glenolden, Pa./Interboro).

Mansfield (1-0) shot 45 percent from the field and saw four of its five starters reach double figures in scoring, led by a 17-point performance from Brielle Kelly.

Brandywine (0-1) travels to Pittsburgh this weekend to compete in the Penn State Beaver Tournament. The Lions open up the tournament against Carlow Saturday at 5:00 pm and face Apprentice School Sunday at 1:00 pm.