Monday, February 25, 2008

MORAVIAN TRAVELS TO JUNIATA IN LANDMARK CONFERENCE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SEMIFINALS

BETHLEHEM, PA --- The Moravian College women’s basketball team will make its seventh straight appearance in the postseason, this year in the inaugural Landmark Conference Tournament, and the Greyhounds are the third seed, traveling to second-seeded Juniata College a semifinal contest on Wednesday, February 27th at 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday’s other semifinal contest will have top-seeded the University of Scranton hosting fourth-seed the United States Merchant Marine Academy at 7:00 p.m.  The winners of Wednesday’s semifinal games will meet on Saturday, March 1st for the first-ever Landmark Conference championship.

The Greyhounds, who finished the 2007-08 regular season with an overall record of 16-9 and a 9-5 slate in the Landmark Conference regular season, have competed in the championship game the last five years, all in Moravian’s previous conference, the Commonwealth Conference. 

Moravian head coach Mary Beth Spirk has the Greyhounds in the playoffs for the 18th time in her 21 years as head coach.  Spirk, who has an overall record of 388-186, has the Greyhounds looking for the program’s first conference title since 1991-92.

Sophomore guard Jessica Foran (Annandale, NJ/Rutgers Prep HS) leads a quintet of Moravian players in double figures.  Foran, who missed five games early in the season due to an injury in the season opener, is netting 12.8 points per game to go along with 51 rebounds, 30 steals, 29 assists and 11 three-pointers.  Sophomore forward Alyssa Bisci (Easton, PA/Easton HS), who missed four games with an injury that occurred in the season opener, is averaging 11.3 per contest to go along with 6.1 rebounds per game, 23 steals, 24 assists and four blocked shots.  Bisci has been honored as the Landmark Conference Player of the Week twice this season. 

Sophomore guard Kate Harrison (Cold Spring Harbor, NY/Cold Spring Harbor HS) is netting in 11.4 points per game to go along with 4.3 rebounds per contest, 53 assists, 30 steals and 16 blocked shots while sophomore forward Kirsty Stearns (East Norwich, NY/Oyster Bay HS) is averaging 10.2 points per contest and leads Moravian on the boards with 171 for an average of 7.1 rebounds per outing.  Stearns also has 30 steals, a team high 27 blocked shots and 20 assists this season. 

Foran, Bisci and Stearns are a combined 258 of 287 at the foul line this season (89.9 percent) and ranked in the top 11 in the nation.  Moravian is ranked tenth in the nation this week in free throw percentage at 75.6 percent.  The Greyhounds are 473 of 626 at the foul line and have made 40 more free throws than their opponents have attempted.

Sophomore guard Amanda Brown (Schuylkill Haven, PA/Schuylkill Haven HS) is also averaging 10.0 points per outing with 40 rebounds, 52 assists, 28 steals and a team high 52 three-pointers while freshman guard/forward Emily Smith (East Stroudsburg, PA/East Stroudsburg South HS), who has missed three games this season due to injury, is contributing 8.0 points per game.  Smith has added 70 rebounds, 23 assists, 43 steals, four blocked shots and ten three-pointers in her first 22 collegiate games. 

Sophomore forward Lauren Fornazor (Rivervale, NJ/Pascack Valley HS) is scoring 4.4 points per outing to go along with 97 rebounds, 32 steals, five blocked shots and 12 assists.  Senior guard LaToya Blake (Allentown, PA/Dieruff HS) leads the team with 73 steals and 63 assists to go along with 108 rebounds, nine blocked shots, six three-pointers and an average of 3.5 points per game.

Senior guard Megan Kocon (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) has contributed 22 points, nine assists, six boards and four steals this season while freshman center Amie Ballo (Andes, NY/Andes Central HS) has 28 points, 50 rebounds, five blocked shots and two steals off of the bench.  Freshman guard Jennie Miller (Lewisburg, PA/Lewisburg HS) has added 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals this season while freshman guard Erin Bradley (Fairfield, NJ/West Essex HS) has six rebounds and three points in limited action.  Freshman guard Angel Genther (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West HS) has two rebounds and a point this winter.

Juniata, which defeated Moravian 66-57 in Huntingdon on January 11th and fell to the Greyhounds, 70-64, in Johnston Hall on February 2nd during the season, finished the regular season with a 17-8 overall record and a 10-4 slate in Landmark Conference action.  The Eagles, under the direction of fifth-year head coach Danny Young, have won five straight games after falling to Moravian on February 2nd.