Thursday,
February 22, 2007
MORAVIAN TRAVELS TO MESSIAH FOR 2007 COMMONWEALTH
CONFERENCE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
BETHLEHEM, PA --- The Moravian College women’s basketball
team will make its fifth straight appearance in the Commonwealth
Conference championship game as the third seeded Greyhounds travel
to top seeded Messiah College for the championship contest on Saturday,
February 24th at 3:00 p.m.
Moravian, in the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season, defeated
second seed Albright College, 68-61, in one of Wednesday night’s
semifinals while Messiah, currently ranked 5th in the nation in
the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, defeated fourth seeded Susquehanna
University, 59-32, in the other semifinal. The winner of the championship
game will earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III National
Championship Tournament that begins on March 2nd.
The Greyhounds, who have an overall record of 16-10 and had a
9-5 slate in the Commonwealth Conference, have competed in the championship
game the last four years, losing to Messiah in Grantham, 75-52 last
season, falling to Messiah in Bethlehem, 57-51, two years ago, losing
to Widener in Johnston Hall, 71-68, in 2003-04 and falling at Messiah,
73-52, in 2002-03.
Moravian has an all-time record of just 9-23 against Messiah,
and the Greyhounds have one just once in 17 trips to Grantham with
Moravian’s only win coming in its first trip back on February
12, 1994, a 107-105 overtime win. The Greyhounds have also dropped
all four postseason meetings with the Falcons over the last six
seasons including three on the road.
Moravian head coach Mary Beth Spirk has the Greyhounds
in the playoffs for the 17th time in her 20 years as head coach.
Spirk, who has an overall record of 369-179, has
the Greyhounds looking for the program’s first conference
title since 1991-92.
Senior forward Kelly Applegate (Easton, PA/Wilson HS),
who was named to the Commonwealth All-Conference Team for the second
straight season, leads the Greyhounds in scoring with an average
of 14.7 points per contest, and she is second at 6.5 rebounds per
game. Applegate, who has moved into sixth all-time
in points with 1,456 points and seventh all-time in rebounds with
667 rebounds for her career, also has 42 steals, 41 assists and
eight blocked shots while shooting 83.1 percent (123-148) at the
foul line, currently ranked 33rd in the nation. Applegate
has broken the school record for free throws attempted with 588
and free throws made with 453.
Senior forward Jenny Hackleman (Arroyo Grande, CA/Rutgers
Prep {NJ} HS), who earned a spot on the Commonwealth All-Conference
Second Team, is averaging 12.2 points and a team leading average
of 9.1 rebounds per contest despite missing the first five games
of the year with an injury. Hackleman, who was
named to the All-Tournament Team at the Starters Moravian Winter
Classic, has moved into fourth in school history in career rebounds
with a total of 776, and she is 13th in scoring with 1,123 points.
Hackleman has also contributed 47 steals, a team
high 31 blocked shots and 53 assists since returning to the lineup.
Freshman guard Jessica Foran (Annandale, NJ/Rutgers Prep
HS) is scoring 8.9 points per game in her debut season,
and Foran has added 86 rebounds, 44 steals, 40 assists and eight
three-pointers, and she is shooting 84.3 percent (75-89), currently
28th in the nation, at the foul line. Both Applegate
and Foran were named to the All-Tournament Team
at the Mike Durgala Memorial Tournament at Johns Hopkins University
to open the 2006-07 season.
Freshman forward Kirsty Stearns (East Norwich, NY/Oyster
Bay HS) is averaging 9.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game,
and she has 12 blocked shots to go along with 22 steals and 18 assists.
Freshman guard Kate Harrison (Cold Spring Harbor, NY/Cold
Spring Harbor HS) has 43 steals this season, and she has
added 85 rebounds, 40 assists, six blocked shots and an average
of 7.6 points per contest while freshman guard Amanda Brown
(Schuylkill Haven, PA/Schuylkill Haven HS) has team highs
of 39 three-pointers and 61 assists to go with 33 rebounds, 24 steals
and an average of 6.5 points per game.
Freshman forward Alyssa Bisci (Easton, PA/Easton HS)
is scoring 3.7 points per game and has added 68 rebounds, 16 assists
and 11 steals while sophomore forward Cody Fedorishen (Nazareth,
PA/Allentown Central Catholic HS) has contributed 62 points,
59 rebounds, 14 assists, ten steals and five blocked shots for the
Greyhounds. Senior guard Katie Rizman (Wall, NJ/St. Rose
HS) has added 63 points, 32 rebounds, 20 assists, 13 steals
and eight three-pointers while junior guard La'Toya Blake
(Allentown, PA/Dieruff HS) has netted 61 points while contributing
a team high 65 steals to go with 37 assists and 47 rebounds.
Sophomore forward Rachelle Elneus (Easton, PA/Notre Dame
HS) has 23 points, 11 rebounds and five steals while junior
guard Megan Kocon (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) has
15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Senior guard Kristina
Adams (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery HS) has 11 points, four
rebounds and five steals while junior guard Tina Moll (Kintnersville,
PA/Palisades HS) has added seven points and four rebounds.
Freshman guard Alexis DiFazio (East Hanover, NJ/Hanover
Park HS) has contributed eight points and three rebounds
in limited action.
Messiah, which defeated Moravian 58-54 in Grantham and lost 66-59
in Johnston Hall during the season, has a record of 24-2 entering
the championship game, and the Falcons had a 13-1 slate in Commonwealth
Conference regular season action. The Falcons, under the direction
of 21st-year head coach Mike Miller, have won five of the last seven
Commonwealth Conference Championships and been in the NCAA Division
III Tournament each of those seven seasons. Miller earned Commonwealth
Conference Coach of the Year honors this week.
Junior guard Nikki Lobach, the Commonwealth Conference Player
of the Year, leads Messiah in scoring with an average of 16.8 points
per game, and she also has a team high 51 steals. Lobach is shooting
52.4 percent (141-269) from the floor and 78.4 percent (145-186)
from the foul line while contributing 89 rebounds, 65 assists, ten
three-pointers and six blocked shots. Senior forward Sarah Ringer,
who was on the Commonwealth All-Conference First Team as well, has
averages of 10.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per contest to go with
46 assists, 32 steals and nine blocked shots.
Sophomore forward Ashley Brooks is contributing 8.1 points and
4.6 rebounds per game to go with 38 steals, 27 blocked shots and
24 assists while junior guard Amy Reed has an average of 8.2 points
per outing to go along with 67 rebounds, a team high 67 assists,
33 steals, 21 three-pointers and eight blocked shots. Junior guard
Lauren Schurr has a team high 55 three-pointers for Messiah to go
with 44 rebounds, 23 assists, 16 steals and an average of 7.2 points
per game.
Junior forward Gwen Avery leads the Falcons with 30 blocked shots
and an average of 5.9 rebounds per game. Avery has added 95 points,
30 assists and 25 steals. Sophomore guard Katie Kalb has 90 points,
29 rebounds, 27 steals, 18 assists and ten three-pointers this winter
for Messiah while sophomore guard Christa Wenrich has contributed
64 points, 22 rebounds and 16 assists. Sophomore forward Silalei
Shani has 71 points, 50 rebounds, 18 assists, 22 steals and 12 blocked
shots as a reserve while freshman guard Julie Henninger has contributed
51 points, 51 rebounds, 25 steals and 21 assists off the bench for
the Falcons.
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