Sports News: Winter 2002-03

Thursday, February 27, 2003

MORAVIAN TO TRAVEL TO MESSIAH COLLEGE FOR COMMONWEALTH CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

BETHLEHEM, PA --- The Moravian College women’s basketball team will make its first appearance in the conference championship game in ten years as the second-seeded Greyhounds travel to top seeded Messiah College for the 2003 Commonwealth Conference Championship game on Saturday, March 1st at 7:00 p.m. in Brubaker Auditorium.

The winner of Saturday’s Commonwealth Conference championship will receive the conference’s automatic bid to the 2003 NCAA Division III Tournament. Messiah is the defending Commonwealth Champion.

The Greyhounds, who have an overall record of 20-6, advanced to the title game with a 53-51 victory over third seeded Lebanon Valley College while the Falcons defeated fourth seeded Widener University, 62-54.

Moravian, which has won five straight games, their second longest winning streak of the season, competed in the Commonwealth semifinals a year ago, losing at Messiah, 66-56. The Greyhounds have lost nine straight games to Messiah, and Moravian has just six victories in 21 contests with the Falcons. Moravian has won just once in 11 trips to Grantham, a 107-105 overtime victory back on February 12, 1994.

Moravian head coach Mary Beth Spirk has the Greyhounds in the playoffs for the 13th time in her 16 years as head coach. Spirk, who has an overall record of 289-141, has guided the Greyhounds to their first 20-win season since 1993-94, and the squad is vying for its first conference title since 1991-92.

Junior guard Kim Hughes (Manasquan, NJ/St. Rose HS) leads the Greyhounds in scoring this season with an average of 12.9 points per game. Hughes also leads the squad with 51 three-pointers, and she has added 65 rebounds, 47 assists and 49 steals. Senior forward Kelly McLean (Allentown, PA/Salisbury HS) leads the Greyhounds on the boards at 6.1 rebounds per contest, and she is netting 9.1 points per game. McLean, who leads the team with 20 blocked shots, is currently eighth all-time with 1,148 points. McLean, who has contributed 19 assists and 20 steals this winter, is currently fourth in school history in career rebounds with 707. Senior guard Tara Wozniak (Roseland, NJ/West Essex Regional HS) is scoring 9.5 points per game, and Wozniak also has 78 rebounds, 50 steals, 43 assists and 17 three-pointers. Wozniak currently stands in seventh place all-time with 1,240 career points and 14th all-time with 446 career rebounds.

Freshman guard Catherine Golden (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom HS) is averaging 8.2 points per game and added 42 rebounds, 18 steals, 20 assists and 12 three-pointers. Senior forward Kristen Sarnocinski (Harleysville, PA/Germantown Academy HS) is contributing 8.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game with 48 assists, 27 steals and 21 three-pointers. Sophomore guard Jen Behagg (Hamburg, NJ/Pope John XXIII HS) is averaging 5.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest, and she leads the squad with 75 assists and just 60 turnovers. Behagg has added a team high 52 steals while junior guard Sarah Onkotz (Catasauqua, PA/Catasauqua HS) has 51 steals to go along with 38 assists, 17 three-pointers and averages of 6.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

Junior forward Tracie Shipman (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Ryan HS) is adding 6.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game with 28 assists and 44 steals while freshman forward Stephanie Seaman (Bethlehem, PA/ Bethlehem Catholic HS) is contributing 5.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game for the Greyhounds. Seaman also has 21 assists and 20 steals this season. Freshman forward Heather MacDonald (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley HS) has netted 64 points and added 38 rebounds while freshman guard/forward Lindsay Brase (Bethlehem, PA/ Notre Dame HS) has 50 points, 33 boards and ten assists. Junior guard Jackie Buschta (Whitehall, PA/ Allentown Central Catholic HS) has contributed 48 rebounds, 39 assists, 40 steals and 28 points.

Junior guard Jen Ellard (Washington, NJ/Warren Hills Regional HS) has added 12 points while freshman guard Nicole Savino (Macungie, PA/Brandywine Heights HS) has netted 11points. Savino has added 11 rebounds while freshman Diana DeFiore (Hammonton, NJ/St. Joseph HS) has three points.

Messiah enters the Commonwealth Conference playoffs with an overall record of 24-2. The Falcons have won their last 14 games and are under the direction of head coach Mike Miller.

Senior forward Christina Vouriotis leads the Falcons in scoring and rebounding with averages of 17.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. She also leads the team with 56 steals and 111 made free throws, and Vouriotis has added 74 assists and 22 three-pointers while shooting 50.3 percent from the floor and 86.7 percent from the charity stripe. Senior guard Amie Kretzing leads Messiah with 51 three-pointers, and she is netting 13.0 points per game. Kretzing also has 50 rebounds, 43 steals and 41 assists. Sophomore guard Kristin Sassaman is netting 7.7 points per contest, and she leads Messiah with 84 assists. Sassaman has also contributed 73 rebounds, 29 steals, 25 three-pointers and 18 blocked shots.

Senior guard Heidi Marks and sophomore forward Kate Giusto are both scoring 6.3 points per outing for the Falcons with Marks adding 6.0 rebounds per game. Marks also has 74 assists and 53 steals while Giusto is contributing 3.5 rebounds a contest with 33 assists and 23 steals. Sophomore guard Marita Rydell is scoring 5.9 points per game, and she has added 45 rebounds, 24 assists, 24 steals and 17 three-pointers while junior forward Jess Unick is netting 5.8 points per contest with 68 rebounds, 24 steals and 17 assists.

Freshman forward Eli Cook leads the Falcons with 22 blocked shots, and she has contributed 71 points, 50 rebounds and 15 steals off the bench. Junior guard Amy Murray has seen action in all 26 games with 15 rebounds and 11 points while junior guard Anna Feeney has played in 24 contests with 20 rebounds, 20 points and 16 assists. Sophomore guard Lane Kieffer has contributed 51 points and 25 rebounds while freshman forward Christy Groves has 45 points and 37 rebounds this season.