PHOENIXVILLE, PA - The University of Valley Forge women's basketball team played host to the Lady Lions of Penn State Mont Alto on Tuesday, November 25, 2014.  Heading into the Thanksgiving break, the Lady Patriots came out on top in a thrilling back and forth game.

After a slow start by both teams, the Lady Patriots used good passing and timely shooting to open up a 7 point lead (27-20) with 5:12 remaining.  Over the next 5 minutes the Lady Lions ramped up their defense and started to convert on the offensive end.  They went on a 14-3 run and looked to go into the locker room with momentum.  However, one shot at the end of the half changed all the momentum!  Mikala Brinson got a steal with less than 5 seconds remaining and launched a half court short at the buzzer…Good!  It gave the team a lot of energy heading into the locker room trailing by 1 point, 33-34.  Brinson finished the first half with 15 points and Ariene Ohimor was a physical presence in the paint, putting in 11 points of her own.

The Lady Patriots continued the momentum into the second half, opening up an eight point lead (44-36) with 15 minutes to play.  However, just as they did in the first half, the Lady Lions stormed back and took a 1 point lead over the next 3 minutes.  The last 12 minutes saw the teams go back and forth with no team trailing by more than 4 points.  There were 17 lead changes throughout the game.  Just when the Lady Patriots would look to extend the lead, it seemed the visiting team would knock in a clutch three pointer.  Dori Kozain, of the Lady Lions, shot 4-5 from 3pt range and finished the game with 24 points and 11 rebounds.

With 18 seconds remaining, the Lady Patriots were down by one.  Again the ball was found in Brinson's hands.  Coming off an inbounds play, Brinson drove the lane and pulled up for a jumper…Good!  Wasting no time the Lady Lions pushed the ball up the floor, but strong defense forced them to turn it over.  After a free throw by Patience Ekuta, the Lady Lions had a final half court attempt. However, they could not match Brinson's heroics from the first half.  The Lady Patriots held on for a 68-66 win!  It was a great team effort and they head into the Thanksgiving break with a good win to build on!
 
Go Patriots!