PIKE CREEK, Del. - A pair of free-throws by junior guard Ashley Rosario proved to be the difference, as the Goldey-Beacom College women's basketball team withstood a 10-point University of the Sciences comeback in the final five minutes of regulation to win, 65-63 on Tues. night at the Joseph West Jones Center.

GBC improves to 5-3 overall and 1-1 in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference with the win while the loss drops the Devils to 2-4 overall and 0-1 in league play.

Junior guard/forward Devonne Richardson led the way for the Lightning with 21 points and 13 rebounds while frontcourt mate Irene Hudson added 15 points and seven boards.

The Lightning built a double-digit lead early in the first half, going up by as many as 14 (26-12) on a pair of Richardson free-throws at the 7:59 mark. They still led by 10, 30-20, with 2:44 left in the period. But Sciences produced an 8-3 run to close out the half and pull within five at the break, 33-28.

Goldey-Beacom again built a double-digit lead as they stifled the Devils with outstanding defense to take a 48-38 lead at the 12:49 mark. Six straight points by Sciences' Brianne Traub closed the gap to four, but the Lightning pushed the lead back up to 10 on three different occasions, the last being a 58-48 advantage with 5:45 left in regulation before the Devils made their final push.

The Devils produced an 8-0 spell starting with a pair of free-throws by Elsebeth Birman. Three layups followed, and suddenly the Lightning lead was only two with 3:37 showing on the clock. Redshirt-freshman guard Taylor Leonard then knocked down a huge three-pointer at the 2:02 mark which stopped the bleeding and put the Lightning back up by five, 61-58.

On the ensuing Sciences possession, Traub answered with an and-one layup, completing the three-point play to pull the Devils back within two, 61-59. Then after a pair of Richardson free-throws put GBC up four, Jessica Sylvester canned a three-pointer to make it a one-point game, 63-62 with just over a minute left to play. Back down the floor for the Lightning, Richardson again took it strong to the hoop but could not get a layup to go, and the Lightning fouled Traub in the scrum for the rebound.

Shooting two with 34 seconds in regulation, Traub made the first to tie the game but missed the second out of a timeout. Traub had shot 11-of-12 at the line for the night and 10-of-10 in the second half, but this miss left the game, and it was Lightning ball with 34 seconds remaining. With nine seconds left, Richardson put up an off-balance jumper that rimmed out, but Rosario came up with the crucial offensive rebound and drew a foul by Traub. After a full timeout by the Devils, Rosario calmly sank both free-throws to put GBC up by two with four seconds remaining. A three-point attempt at the buzzer by Birman fell way short, and the Lightning came away with the 65-63 victory.

Defense and rebounding keyed this Lightning victory as the host's held Sciences to 31-percent shooting, including a mere 21-percent on 7-of-33 from the field in the first half. GBC also held a distinct 43-34 rebounding advantage and outscored the Devils, 30-14 in the paint.

The Lightning play their third straight home game on Sat. afternoon against CACC foe Dominican College. Tip-off is at 1 p.m.