Bronx, NY – The University of Valley Forge Women's basketball team traveled to the Bronx, New York to take on the Lightning of Lehman College. Valley Forge fell to Lehman by a score of 58-64, bringing them to a 1-3 record on the young season.
The Patriots started the game lightning-fast against the Lightning, opening up the first quarter with a 10-2 lead, thanks in large part to a pair of threes from senior Bailey Mayforth. After nearly five minutes of strong defense and zero combined points scored, Natalie Cortez added to the Patriots' lead with a pair of her own scores, with her fast-break in the paint bringing the contest to 14-4. The Patriots held the Lightning to just four points all quarter.

The next quarter brought a new host of challenges for the Patriots, who would see their lead slip away as rapidly as it was acquired. In the first two and a half minutes of the quarter, Lehman scored 11 unanswered points assisted by four Patriots turnovers, locking the game dead even at 15. Not to be outdone however, Valley Forge executed an unanswered 13-point run of their own, with points coming from five different players. Valley Forge would go into the half with a 30-26 lead.

The biggest swing came in the third quarter, with Valley Forge struggling to hold onto the ball, committing 12 turnovers resulting in nine points for the Lightning. Mayforth would provide a silver lining with two successful late shots in the paint to end the quarter.

Valley Forge came into the final ten minutes trailing 40-47. After a dramatic 16-4 point comeback run, powered by Jhanel Brown and Amaya Brown, the Patriots found themselves behind by only two points with 1:22 left to play. With a stifling defensive presence, Valley Forge forced a turnover, quickly converting it into points from Amaya Brown on a game-tying lay-up with just 37 seconds remaining. Lehman would take care of business at the very end, however, scoring six straight, shutting down the Patriots offense for the final seconds en route to a 64-58 victory. Valley Forge drops to 1-3 with the loss.

A Look at the Numbers
Bailey Mayforth led Valley Forge in points, scoring 20 on the day while corralling 12 total rebounds. Jhanel Brown was just behind her with 12 points and nine rebounds. Valley Forge shot 52% from the field, while Lehman shot 29%. The biggest difference maker in the contest was the turnover differential, with Valley Forge at minus 27, committing a staggering 39 turnovers in the game. Lehman scored 32 points off of them.

Up Next
The University of Valley Forge women's basketball team returns to action on Friday, December 1^st when they take on Westfield State University in the Wesleyan University tournament in Middletown, CT. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m.