BETHLEHEM, Pa. -  The 15th ranked Northampton women's basketball grabbed control of the early lead in the EPAC standings with a thrilling 68-65 victory over the Community College of Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon at the Arthur L. Scott Center. 

The Spartans dominated the 2nd quarter, outscoring Philadelphia 20-11, leading to a 10-point advantage heading to the locker room at halftime.

The Lions battled back throughout the second half in the see-saw affair, eventually cutting the lead to just 1 point with under 30 seconds to play, but Alayna Day (Reading, PA/Muhlenburg) was able to seal the victory with 2 free throws.  

Day finished with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists as the Spartans totaled 18 assists on 27 field goals. 

Aslyn Toledo Rivera (Allentown, PA/William Allen) led Northampton with 20 points, while Madison Kluska (Bangor, PA/Bangor) added 5 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals. 

"Overall it's a very important victory for us," stated Head Coach Terrence Bomar, "we were able to create some distance at times, but just never were able to sustain that 10 to 12 point margin.  I'm proud of how the team battled down the stretch to get the win."

The win moves Northampton to 5-3 overall, 2-0 in Region 19 and 2-0 in the EPAC.

CCP falls to 3-4 overall, 2-1 in Region 19 and 1-1 in conference play. 

The Spartans hit the road on December 8th for a match-up at nationally-ranked Passaic County Community College scheduled for 5pm.