Apprentice School Tops Brandywine In Tournament Finale

MONACA, Pa. -- The Apprentice School built a 20-point halftime lead and posted an 87-51 victory over the Penn State Brandywine women's basketball team on Sunday afternoon during the final game of the USCAA Tip-Off Tournament at Penn State Beaver.

Chelsea Dent (Yeadon, Pa./Penn Wood) recorded a team-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Nikki Velez (Gloucester, N.J./Gloucester City) added 12 points. Nicolette Napoleon (Springfield, Pa./Penn Charter) totaled six points and a team-best nine rebounds.

Brandywine netted the first four points of the first quarter, but Apprentice answered with a 10-0 run and led by seven after one quarter. The Lions sliced the deficit as small as six points in the second quarter before a 10-2 spurt helped the Builders create a 20-point halftime edge.

The Lions cut the Builders' lead in half as Velez scored six-straight points and Dent added two baskets, while the Brandywine defense held Apprentice without a field goal for nearly five minutes during a 10-3 run.

However, Apprentice would pull away in the fourth. Napoleon made the score 55-44 with a jumper to open the final quarter, but Apprentice answered with the game's next 14 points.

Brandywine shot 32 percent from the field, while allowing Apprentice to connect on 43 percent of its shots. The Lions were also haunted by 26 turnovers as the Builders netted 29 points off of miscues.

Brandywine (0-3) is on the road Tuesday for a game at Penn State Berks (7:00 pm).