Junior Christine Marks scored her 1,000th career point and finished with 19 on the night as the Misericordia University women's basketball team knocked off defending champion DeSales 71-54, Wednesday night in the Anderson Center.

Marks also finished with a team-high 11 rebounds. Junior Jesse Robinson was huge for the Cougars, scoring a game-high 27 points on 9-of-11 shooting. She also went a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line and dished out a game-high four assists.

After DeSales jumped out to a 5-0 lead, Marks hit a long two to get the Cougars on the board, giving her 999 career points.

The milestone hoop came with 14:41 left in the first half, as Marks converted a tough basket in the post and was fouled. The three-point play pulled MU to within two and carried the Cougar junior over the 1,000-point plateau.

With 3:06 to play in the game, Courtney Sykes' heave as the shot clock wound down missed but Hannah Seely somehow managed to tap it in before the buzzer. The crucial points gave Misericordia a nine-point lead, 58-49.

Sykes then hit a pair of free throws to stretch the lead to double-digits for the first time. The Cougars got another defensive stop and Robinson drove hard to the basket for a 62-49 lead.

Twice in the second half, Misericordia had fought off DeSales runs with three-pointers from Tyann McDaniel.

The Cougars led 34-25 before a 6-0 Bulldog run pulled the visitors to within a possession. Marks got MU a much-needed stop, with her steal eventually leading to a McDaniel three.

DeSales scored the game's next two baskets to sneak back to within two, but McDaniel answered again with a triple, this time from the right corner, that made it 42-37.

DSU made one more push, with a three-point play making it 46-45, but Misericordia again fought off the defending champs. Marks bounced in a three-pointer to make it 51-45, and Robinson just beat the 30-second clock to maintain the six-point gap.

Robinson had given Misericordia its first lead of the game, 8-7, with a three-pointer six minutes into the first half. Sykes was then bumped hard but still finished an off-balance shot to make it 10-7 MU.

The Bulldogs briefly grabbed a 17-16 lead but then were held scoreless for the next 4:25 as Misericordia opened up a six-point advantage.

Robinson found Marks with a great pass to make it 21-17, before she forced a shot through her defender's hand and in to stretch the gap to six.

DSU broke its slump from behind the arc, but Sykes hit a three with 1:18 remaining to put the Cougars up 30-25. MU led 32-25 at the break.

Sondrive Glovas led DeSales with 17 points. Cherelle Simmons was also in double-figures with 11 points.

The Cougars improve to 14-8, 8-4 and hold the head-to-head tie-breaker for first place in the Freedom Conference standings, a game ahead of DeSales. MU hosts FDU-Florham on Saturday before the big trip to King's next Tuesday.

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