Baltimore, Md. – A balanced offensive attack and stellar defense led to a College of Saint Elizabeth women's basketball team victory over fellow first-place foe Notre Dame of Maryland in a Colonial States Athletic Conference game on Thursday night, 57-48.
 
The Eagles (9-3, 6-0 CSAC) held the host Gators (8-4, 5-1 CSAC) to just 25.4 percent (15-for-59) shooting from the field, and forced 34 turnovers to take control of the contest.
 
Saint Elizabeth dominated the first quarter, and led 23-12 after the opening 10 minutes. Notre Dame however battled back in the fourth to cut the CSE lead to just 51-48 with 1:15 remaining in the contest. Down the stretch, the Eagles made stops on defense and converted all six of their free throws with two each from senior guard Rakiyah Sellers (Newark, N.J./Newark Arts), freshman guard Alani Jones (Newark, N.J./Newark Arts), and freshman center Baiylee Barnes (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway).
 
Sophomore guard Maria DeVincenzo (Tampa, Fla./Life Center Academy) scored a game-high 14 points, while Sellers finished with 11 points and nine rebounds, Jones totaled 12 points and four steals, and junior forward Kamani Williams (Middletown, N.J./Middletown North) piled up seven points and 11 boards.
 
The Eagles have another quick turnaround and will travel to Clarks Summit on Saturday, Jan. 11 for a 1 p.m. matchup with the Defenders.