OFFICIAL PHOTO GALLERY OF 2017-18 CACC BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
WATCH ARCHIVED BROADCAST OF 2017-18 CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (March 4, 2018) -- University of the Sciences made it two Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Women's Basketball Championships in a row on Sunday with a 64-56 triumph over Jefferson in the 2017-18 final at the Gallagher Center in Philadelphia. The win for USciences also locked up the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II East Region Tournament next week.

Alex Thomas posted a team-high 17 points for the Devils, as she earned tournament most-valuable-player honors for her strong play throughout the three games of the championship. She was one of four Devils to notch double-figures in scoring on Sunday, including Sarah Abbonizio (16 points), Jordan Vitelli (14) and Irisa Ye (11).

USciences trailed 14-9 after one quarter and then fell back even more at 22-11 with 6:40 remaining in the second. Alynna Williams, who had a game-high 23 points, led Jefferson's offensive attack in the early going, as the Rams were picking up where they left off the day before in a strong showing in the semifinal win over Bloomfield College.

The Devils, though, showed why they were the defending champions and this year's South Division champs, as they scored the next seven points -- sparked by a Ye three-pointer -- to get within four. It was part of an 18-6 stretch by Sciences to close the half and take a 29-28 lead into the intermission. Vitelli netted eight points during the surge, while Ye added seven. USciences shot 60 percent from the floor (6-of-10) in the second quarter to shake off the slow offensive start.

The Devils kept the hot shooting going in the third quarter with a 4-of-6 clip from beyond the arc and a 53-percent shooting effort overall. Thomas had 12 points during the stanza, as USciences led by as many as 11 on two occasions and held a 53-43 advantage entering the fourth quarter.

USciences led by 13 early in the fourth, but Jefferson countered with an 11-2 rally to get within 58-54 with under two minutes remaining. Williams had five points during the run, including sparking it with a triple, while Erin Maher added four.

Despite the scoring surge, Jefferson was forced to foul late and Abbonizio went 4-of-4 from the stripe, while Thomas added two as well to seal the win and championship for the Devils.

2017-18 CACC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Jasmine Gee (Dominican College)
Kristen Drogsler (Caldwell University)
Zhane Robinson (Bloomfield College)
Alynna Williams (Jefferson)
Jessica Kaminski (Jefferson)
Alex Thomas (University of the Sciences)
Irisa Ye (University of the Sciences)
Jordan Vitelli (University of the Sciences)
MVP: Alex Thomas (University of the Sciences)

ABOUT THE CACC
The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference is an NCAA Division II Conference composed of 14 institutions in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The member institutions are Bloomfield College, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Concordia (N.Y.) College, Dominican (N.Y.) College, Felician University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University), Nyack College, Post University of Waterbury, University of the Sciences, and Wilmington University.