Greyhound Weekly Update, November 24, 2008 (-2222-)
Football – 8-3 (Centennial
Conference 6-2)
Last Week – Lost to Salisbury University in 2008
ECAC Division III Southwest Bowl Championship
Season complete
The Salisbury University
football team entered 2008 ECAC Division III Southwest Bowl Championship with
the top-ranked rushing offense in the nation at 397 yards per game, but it was
a 41-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Ronnie Curley to junior wide
receiver D.J. Nelson early in the fourth quarter that capped a 21-point second
half rally and led the 17th-ranked Sea Gulls to a 21-17 victory over Moravian
College at Rocco Calvo Field.
Just one play prior to Curley's fifth touchdown
pass of the season, the Greyhounds appeared to be driving towards extending
their lead when Moravian senior quarterback Marc Braxmeier (Center Valley, PA/Allentown Central Catholic) was
intercepted by Salisbury senior defensive back Greg Miletic
at the Salisbury 12-yard line, and Miletic, who had
two interceptions in the game, returned the ball 47 yards to the Moravian 41-yard
line.
The Sea Gulls, who finish the season at 9-2, were
limited to 209 yards on 51 carries by the Greyhound defense, the second lowest
rushing total of the season by Salisbury while Curley threw for 105 yards, 42
more than the Sea Gulls were averaging entering the contest.
Moravian, which finishes the year at 8-3,
received its fourth-straight 100-yard rushing performance from junior tailback Ryan Rempe (Dickson City, PA/Mid-Valley),
who ran for a career high 186 yards on 41 carries with two first half
touchdowns. Rempe, who was
starting for the third time in four games due to an injury to starter senior Tyler McCambridge (Northampton,
PA/Allentown Central Catholic), had 41 carries for the second straight
game, and tied his own mark for the fourth most in a single game. He tied
the school record with 51 carries in a triple overtime win at Juniata College
on October 25th. Rempe ran for
647 yards on 145 carries in the Greyhounds' last four games.
The loss for Moravian was the first this fall
when the team was able to run at least 61 offensive plays, and also the first
when the Greyhounds won the turnover battle, three to two.
Salisbury received the opening kickoff and drove
down into Moravian territory. Facing a second-and-nine at the Moravian
23-yard line, Sea Gull sophomore running back Bryan Woolson
was hit in the back field by Greyhound senior defensive lineman Douglas Bocchino (Madison, NJ/Madison)
and fumbled. It was the sixth fumble of the year forced by Bocchino and Moravian sophomore defensive
lineman Michael McClarin (Bethlehem,
PA/Liberty) covered the ball at the Moravian 34-yard line.
Rempe
ran for three yards on the Greyhounds’ first offensive play. On second
down, Rempe, who came to Moravian as
a quarterback and started five games as a freshman in 2006, threw a pass that
was intercepted by Miletic at the Salisbury 32-yard
line.
The Sea Gulls would pick up a first down before
punting for the first time in the game.
Moravian started from its own 29-yard line.
On the second play of the drive, senior fullback Morgan deRouen (West Milford, NJ/West Milford), who wore his twin
brother Tyler’s jersey for the game,
ran for a 17-yard first down. Tyler
deRouen (West Milford, NJ/West Milford) suffered the fourth season-ending
injury of his career in week six of the season at Gettysburg College.
Rempe
ran twice for a first down before Morgan
deRouen added another 17-yard run to put the ball in the red zone at the
Salisbury 19-yard line. Braxmeier
was sacked on a third-and-six play, pushing the ball back to the Sea Gull
23-yard line. Senior Brian
Reckenbeil (Branchburg, NJ/Somerville) came on and drilled a 40-yard field
goal with the wind at his back to give Moravian a 3-0 lead with 3:43 to play in
the first quarter. For Reckenbeil,
who is Moravian’s all-time leading scorer for all players and holds all but one
kicking record, it was his 14th field goal of the season and the 42nd of his
career.
The Sea Gulls would then go three-and-punt on
their next possession with a short punt into the wind giving the ball back to
the Greyhounds at the Salisbury 44-yard line.
Moravian would need just three Rempe runs to score the first touchdown
of the game. Rempe gained five
yards on first down before losing one on second down. After a Moravian
first down, Rempe burst through the
line and down the left sideline for a 40-yard touchdown run. Reckenbeil added the extra-point to
extend the Greyhounds lead to 10-0 with 53 seconds left on the clock in the
first quarter.
Salisbury would go the wrong direction on its ensuing
possession. After an incomplete pass on first down, Curley was dropped
for a two-yard loss. On the first play of the second quarter, Curley was
sacked by Moravian sophomore defensive lineman Allen Petros (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) and fumbled. The Sea
Gulls recovered but were forced to punt on fourth-and-22.
Moravian took over on its own 29-yard line and
put together a 13-play, 71-yard scoring drive. Rempe ran nine times on the drive for 43 yards including the
three-yard touchdown. Reckenbeil
came on for the extra-point, his 68th straight conversion, to push Moravian’s
lead to 17-0 with 7:39 left in the second quarter. The extra-point was
also the 100th of Reckenbeil’s
career, and Braxmeier had a pair of third down completions to keep the drive alive
on his only two attempts of the drive.
On the following kickoff by Reckenbeil, the Greyhounds attempted a pooch kickoff into the wind
and Salisbury’s junior running back William Midgette
was unable to control the ball. Moravian freshman wide receiver Patrick Meeres (Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape)
fell on the ball at the Salisbury 42-yard line to give the Greyhounds the
possession.
Rempe
ran for 14 yards on first down to move the ball to the Salisbury 29-yard
line. That would be the final first down of the half for either
team. Facing a fourth-and-six at the Salisbury 24-yard line, Braxmeier threw a pass towards
sophomore wide receiver Shawn Sylvainus
(Nazareth, PA/Nazareth) but Salisbury senior linebacker Matt Barnes was
able to jump and get enough of the ball to tip it over Sylvainus.
The Sea Gulls gained seven yards on their first
two drives before Curley was stopped for a seven-yard loss by Petros, forcing a punt. Moravian
would fair much better, punting for the first time in
the game after three plays. Salisbury ran three more plays before punting
for the fifth time in the first half, and the Greyhounds took a knee to head to
the locker room with a 17-0 lead.
At halftime, Moravian had run 36 plays for 195
yards including 167 yards on the ground with 140 from Rempe, and the Greyhounds had held the ball for 17:40.
Salisbury had just 61 yards on 25 plays in the first 30 minutes in the game
with all 61 yards coming on 23 carries.
Moravian received the opening kickoff of the
second half but would punt into the wind after just three plays.
The Sea Gulls began their first possession of the
second half at their own 37-yard line. Midgette
would pick up nine yards on the third play to move the ball to the Moravian
42-yard line. On the next play, freshman running back Randal Smedley took the option pitch but never really had control
of the ball before fumbling it. Luckily for Salisbury, Moravian was
unable to control the ball before it went out-of-bounds for a Sea Gull first
down. Sophomore running back Nick Coates ran for ten yards and a first
down before Curley hit Nelson with a 20-yard pass to the Moravian nine-yard
line. Two plays later, Smedley scored from
eight yards out to put the Sea Gulls on the board. Freshman kicker Tommy Kowalick made the extra-point to cut Moravian’s lead to
17-7 with 9:52 to go in the third quarter.
The Greyhounds were unable to move the ball again
as the team had its third straight three-and-punt series.
Another short Moravian punt into the stiff wind,
allowed Salisbury to begin at its own 45-yard line. Sophomore running
back Warren Anderson ran for 29 yards on the second play of the drive to put
the ball in the red zone at the Moravian 19-yard line. Three plays later,
Coates scored on an eight-yard run and Kowalick’s
kick pulled the Sea Gulls within 17-14 with 6:07 to go in the third quarter.
For the third time in the quarter, the Greyhounds
were unable to move the ball and punted after three plays.
On Salisbury’s first play, Woolson
had trouble handling the pitch on the option and covered the ball at the
Salisbury 24-yard line. The Sea Gulls would end up punting after two more
plays.
The Greyhounds began the next possession on their
own 29-yard line. Rempe would
run for 11 yards on second down, Moravian’s first first
down since midway through the second quarter. After Rempe was stopped for a loss, Braxmeier
hit sophomore wide receiver Alex Hersch
(Macungie, PA/Emmaus) with a 14-yard pass to move the ball into Salisbury
territory at the 49-yard line. The Sea Gulls were called for a roughing
the passer penalty on the first play of the fourth quarter to give Moravian the
ball at the Salisbury 29-yard line. Two plays later, Braxmeier was looking for Alex
Hersch, who didn’t turn around for the pass until after Miletic
had intercepted the ball and was heading towards the other end of the field.
Curley’s scoring pass to Nelson came on the
following play, and Kowalick’s extra-point gave the
Sea Gulls a 21-17 lead with 13:54 remaining in the contest.
Moravian would start at its own 22-yard line
after and illegal block penalty on the kickoff return. The Greyhounds
picked up just one yard on three plays brining senior punter Michael Voskian (Brielle, NJ/Manasquan)
on to punt for the fourth time in the half. Salisbury junior linebacker Eric
Arndt partially blocked the punt as the ball came down at the Moravian 28-yard
line. Sea Gull freshman linebacker Matt Leon was unable to cover the
ball, and after he made contact making it a live ball, Greyhound senior
defensive back Carl Robinson (Boothwyn,
PA/Garnet Valley) covered the ball and keeping possession with Moravian.
Rempe
would rush for 12 yards to five Moravian a first down, but the Greyhounds would
ultimately punt again.
Salisbury took over at its own 31-yard line and
picked up a pair of first downs to move to the Moravian 42-yard line on runs by
senior running back Shelby Fisher and Woolson.
The Sea Gulls would be forced to punt three plays later, giving the Greyhound
offense one more shot.
Starting at its own 17-yard line, Moravian would
get one first down on a Rempe
rush. However, Moravian only picked up four more yards and punted the
ball away with 2:28 to go. The Greyhounds nearly caught a break on the
punt as Salisbury sophomore running back Zach Holbrook fumbled the punt but was
able to fall on the ball before the Moravian special teams unit could recover
the ball.
The Sea Gulls would get back-to-back first downs
on a 12-yard run by Woolson on the third play of the
drive and an 11-yard run from Coates on the next play to seal the game.
Salisbury took three knees to finish the contest although Curley needed to back
peddle for an eight-yard loss before kneeling down
the final time so Moravian wouldn’t have one last crack with a second
remaining.
Salisbury would win the offensive battle in the
second half, gaining 217 yards on 32 plays while the Greyhound offense was
limited to 70 yards on 30 plays after the intermission.
Woolson led the Sea
Gull rushing attack with 65 yards on ten carries while Fisher added 51 yards on
nine attempts. Coates had 35 yards and his touchdown on six carries while
Anderson added 30 yards on six attempts. Curley was limited to 15 yards
on 13 carries with one sack, and he completed three-of-six passes for 69 yards
and the winning score.
Curley and Fisher entered the game with shots to
reach 1,000 yards rushing for the season but the Moravian defense didn’t allow
either one to make with Curley finishing the year with 968 yards and Fisher
netting 962 yards for the season. Smedley had
11 yards on two carries while Nelson had 61 yards and a touchdown on his two
receptions.
Morgan
deRouen had 37 yards on seven carries for the Moravian offense while Braxmeier completed seven of 13 passes
for 51 yards and one interception. Senior wide receiver Tyler Hersch (Macungie, PA/Emmaus) had
three receptions for 17 yards for the Greyhounds while junior tight end Brian Dencker (Boonton, NJ/Boonton) had
two catches for 16 yards. Voskian
had 199 yards on six punts for Moravian to move over 5,000 yards in his career
at 5,082 yards on 142 career punts.
Salisbury sophomore linebacker Justin Chura made a game high 13 tackles while being named the
Most Valuable Player of the ECAC Southwest Bowl. Barnes added ten tackles
with one for loss and a pass break-up while Miletic
had eight tackles to go with his two interceptions. Sophomore linebacker Matt Bookard had six tackles with one for loss and a pass
break-up. Senior linebacker Marcel McCain had six tackles with one for
loss while junior defensive lineman Paul Cynewski had
five tackles with a half a sack and two and a half tackles for loss.
Salisbury senior defensive lineman Jarrell Chandler, who entered the game third
in the nation in tackles for loss per game, had four stops with a sack but an
injury late in the first half had Chandler on crutches for the remainder of the
game.
Senior linebacker Kevin McGorry (Whitehall, PA/Allentown Central Catholic) led the
Moravian defense with 12 tackles and a half a tackle for loss while sophomore
linebacker Anthony Carney (Bethlehem,
PA/Bethlehem Catholic) had nine tackles. Senior defensive back Erik Brinkerhoff (Boonton, NJ/Boonton)
finished with eight tackles while Bocchino
had seven tackles with two and a half for loss and a forced fumble before he
left the game with an injury in the fourth quarter. Robinson had six tackles with a pass break-up and his fumble
recovery while Petros made six
tackles with two for loss, a sack and a forced fumble.
Senior linebacker Andrew Morrissey (Emmaus, PA/Emmaus) had five tackles with one for
loss in his final collegiate game at Moravian to complete his career eighth in
school history with 325 tackles while McClarin
had five stops with a half a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery.
Junior linebacker Derek Protasiewicz (Whippany,
NJ/Whippany Park) also contributed five tackles while Moravian senior
defensive lineman Don Maxwell (Berkley
Heights, NJ/Governor Livingston) had five stops with a half tackle for loss
in his final collegiate game.
Greyhound Weekly Update, November 24, 2008 (-6666-)
Men’s Basketball -- 1-2
(Landmark Conference 0-0)
Last
Week – Lost to Johns Hopkins University^, 86-61; Lost to SUNY-Brockport^,
96-63. ^ Blue Jay Invitational at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
This Week – Tues., Nov. 25th vs. DeSales
University, 8:00 p.m.
Forward Andrew Faber-Miller scored a game high 20
points on eight-of-11 shooting from the floor and a perfect four-for-four at
the foul line to lead Johns Hopkins University to an 86-61 victory over
Moravian College in the first round of the Blue Jay Invitational. The
Greyhounds will play SUNY Brockport in the consolation game while the Blue Jays
will take on Whitworth University, an 83-67 winner in the other first round
game, for the championship. The Blue Jays jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a basket
by Scott Weisenfeld at the 19:27 mark. Moravian
would tie the game 22 seconds later on a jumper by junior forward Eric Weaver (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury).
Johns Hopkins put together a 6-0 run to build an 8-2 lead with 16:32 to go in
the first half on a lay-up from Faber-Miller. The Blue Jays would extend
the run out to an 18-6 lead at the 12:26 mark on a three-pointer from Leland
O’Connor as Johns Hopkins connected on its first eight shots of the game
including a pair of three-pointers. The Blue Jays had a 20-8 advantage with
9:14 left on the first half clock after a basket from John Alberici
when Moravian put together a 15-2 run over a span of three and a half minutes
to take its first lead of the game, 23-22, on a Weaver jumper with 5:44 until the intermission. The teams
would trade the lead six times before the Greyhounds built a 31-28 lead on a
jumper from sophomore forward Alvin
Adams (Newark, NJ/Marist) at the 2:24 mark. Johns Hopkins then
finished the half with an 8-1 run to head to the locker room with a 36-32 lead.
Moravian was just 11-of-23 from the floor (47.8 percent), one-for-six on
three-pointers and nine-for-ten at the foul line in the first 20 minutes, and
Moravian had ten turnovers. Johns Hopkins connected on 15-of-21 field
goal attempts (71.4 percent) in the first half to go with a two-for-three
performance behind the three-point line and a four-for-five half at the foul
line. The Blue Jays had an 11-8 edge in rebounds despite making 11
turnovers in the first 20 minutes. Johns Hopkins opened the second half with a
lay-up from Faber-Miller while Moravian countered with a pair of free throws
from Weaver. The Blue Jays
then went on a 12-0 run to build a 50-34 lead on a dunk from Adam Baumgartner
with 16:10 remaining. Moravian freshman guard Sergio Camacho (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) hit a pair of free throws
with 15:56 to go to stop the run only to see Johns Hopkins put together a 9-3
run to build its first 20-point lead, 59-39, with 13:26 left in the second half
on a jumper from Mike Henrici. The Blue Jays would
keep the lead above 20 points the rest of the game while shooting 17-for-29
from the floor (58.6 percent), two-of-four on three-pointers and 14-for-20 at
the foul line in the second half. Johns Hopkins also committed just six
turnovers in the second half and finished the game with a 32-29 advantage in
rebounds. Moravian was just seven-for-25 from the field, two-for-eight on
three-pointers and 13-for-20 at the foul line in the final 20 minutes, and the
Greyhounds had 12 second half turnovers. Camacho
led the Greyhounds with 16 points while Weaver
tossed in 12 points. Sophomore guard Maurice
Young (Philadelphia, PA/Chestnut Hill Academy) contributed nine points,
four rebounds and a pair of steals for Moravian while Adams had eight rebounds, four points and two blocked shots.
Sophomore guard Charlie Rigoglioso (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) added five points
while sophomore forward Chris Cullen
had five points and three rebounds. Freshman forward Chris Cullinan (East Islip, NY/East Islip)
scored six points and grabbed two rebounds off the bench late in the game for
the Greyhounds.
Cantrel
Parrish led five players in double figures with a game high 19 points as SUNY
Brockport defeated Moravian, 93-63, in the consolation game of the Blue Jay
Invitational hosted by Johns Hopkins University. The Golden Eagles jumped out
to a 6-0 lead with Parrish hitting a lay-up to finish the run at 18:56.
Moravian would get its first points of the game on a jumper from sophomore
guard Charlie Rigoglioso
hit a jumper with 17:52 remaining in the first half. The closest the
Greyhounds would get the remainder of the game was three-points, 12-9, on a
jumper from junior forward Eric Weaver
with 15:34 to go. Brockport put together a 7-0 run to get the lead into
double figures for the first time with Brandon Williams hitting a pair of free
throws at13:54 for a 19-9 lead. Brockport would build a 17-point advantage,
40-23, on a three-point play by Jermaine Johnson with 1:44 to go in the
half. The Golden Eagles headed to the locker room with a 42-25 halftime
lead after shooting 16 of 40 from the floor, two-for-five on three-pointers and
eight of ten at the foul line in the first half. Meanwhile, Moravian
struggled shooting the ball in the first 20 minutes, making just nine of 31 field
goal attempts (29.0 percent) and seven of 11 free throws. The Greyhounds
missed all nine of their first half three-point attempts, and Moravian had 18
turnovers in the first half to 12 for Brockport. Moravian did hold a
26-24 edge in rebounds at the intermission. The Golden Eagles would push their
lead to 26 points, 53-27, early in the second half on a lay-up from Joe
Clarke. Brockport led 62-38 with 11:58 remaining after a Parrish tip-in,
when Moravian put together an 8-0 run capped off by a three-pointer from
freshman guard Shane Painter (Bedminster, NJ/Bernards) to pull the Greyhounds within 62-46 with
10:45 remaining. Brockport’s largest lead of the night, 33 points, 90-57,
came with 1:07 to go on a lay-up from Josh Zenkel.
The Golden Eagles shot the ball even better in the second half, making 18 of 35
field goal attempts (51.4 percent), four of six three-pointers and 11 of 16
free throws. Brockport also limited itself to seven turnovers in the
second half while forcing the Greyhounds into 16 turnovers after the
intermission. Moravian shot the ball a little better in the final 20
minutes, connecting on nine of 25 field goal attempts (36.0 percent), four of
11 three-pointers and 16 of 21 free throws. The Greyhounds did finish the
game with a 47-43 edge in rebounds. Sophomore guard Maurice Young led Moravian with 13 points, three assists and two
steals while sophomore forward Chris
Cullen had ten points. Sophomore forward Alvin Adams grabbed a career high 11 rebounds to go with six points
and two steals while earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Junior
forward Joseph Munley
(Macungie, PA/Emmaus) had nine rebounds and two assists for
Moravian while Rigoglioso
had seven points and four rebounds. Painter, freshman guard Sergio Camacho and sophomore guard Ryan O’Donnell (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury) each contributed five points for the
Greyhounds while Weaver and freshman
forward Nelson Leon each added five rebounds and two points.
Greyhound
Weekly Update, November 24, 2008 (-8888-)
Women’s Basketball -- 2-1
(Landmark Conference 0-0)
Last
Week – Defeated Elizabethtown College, 69-65; Defeated Gwynedd-Mercy College!, 83-69; Lost to University of Rochester!, 80-58. ! Chuck Resler Tournament at the University
of Rochester, Rochester, NY.
This Week – Tues., Nov. 25th vs. DeSales
University, 6:00 p.m.
Junior guard Kate Harrison (Cold Spring Harbor, NY/Cold Spring Harbor) scored a team high 17 points, and she added
nine rebounds and seven assists to lead Moravian to a 69-65 non-conference win
at Elizabethtown College to open the 2008-09 season. The Greyhounds jumped out
to a 4-0 lead on a pair of Harrison
baskets, and Moravian would build a 10-3 lead with 14:42 to play in the first
half on a lay-up by sophomore guard/forward Amy Heffner (Schnecksville,
PA/Parkland). The Blue Jays
then went on a 9-2 run capped off by a lay-up from Megan Quinn to tie the game
at 12-12 at the 10:38 mark. Moravian pushed its lead back to six points,
20-14, with seven minutes to go in the first half on a lay-up by freshman guard
Hilary Martin. Elizabethtown then
went on a 10-2 run and took its first lead of the game, 24-22, on a junior by
Kelly Sauerzopf with 4:35 until the
intermission. The Blue Jays finished the half with a 12-8 run to head to
the locker room with a 35-30 lead. Elizabethtown was 12-of-33 from the
floor (36.4 percent), two-for-seven behind the three-point line and nine-for-15
(60 percent) at the foul line, and the Blue Jays had a 27-21 advantage in
rebounds in the first 20 minutes. The Greyhounds made 13 of 38 shots from
the field (38.4 percent) and four of eight at the foul line. Moravian
missed both of its first half three-point attempts while both teams committed
13 turnovers. The Greyhounds began the second half with an 8-0 run capped by a
Harrison jumper to take a 38-35 lead with 15:50 to go in the game. The
Blue Jays first basket of the second half, a three-pointer by Megan Strohman would tie the game for the fourth time.
Moravian would eventually take a five-point lead, 50-45, on a three-pointer from
junior guard Amanda Brown (Schuylkill Haven, PA/Schuylkill Haven) with 8:23 on the clock. Elizabethtown
responded with a 7-0 run capped off by a Quinn three-pointer as the Blue Jays
retook the lead 52-50 with 7:12 to go. Harrison
would give the Greyhounds the lead for good with 6:04 to play when her lay-up
gave Moravian a 56-55 lead. The Greyhounds eventually pushed the lead to
eight points, 64-56, on a free throw by junior forward Alyssa Bisci with 2:55 to go. Elizabethtown would pull within two
points, 67-65, on a lay-up by Jenn Montague with 20
seconds to play. Greyhound junior guard Jessica Foran (Annandale, NJ/Rutgers Prep) would make a pair of free throws after an
immediate Blue Jay foul to seal the Moravian win. Moravian heated up from the
field in the second half, making 14 of 31 field goal attempts (45.2 percent),
two-for-eight three-pointers and nine-for-13 free throws (69.2 percent) in the
final 20 minutes. The Greyhounds had 12 turnovers in the second half
while forcing Elizabethtown into 17 miscues in the second half. The Blue
Jays were ten-for-31 from the floor, six-for-15 on three-pointers and
four-for-ten from the foul line in the second half, and Elizabethtown held a
50-43 advantage on the boards including a 20-14 edge in offensive rebounds in
the game. Harrison and Foran were the
only two Greyhounds in double figures for the game. Harrison added two steals to her 17 points while Foran had ten
points and a game high five steals. Heffner
contributed nine points, four rebounds and a pair of steals in her first game
with Moravian while Bisci also had
nine points to go along with four boards.
Junior forward Kirsty Stearns added eight points, two
rebounds and two assists while Brown
added seven points and a career high nine rebounds to go with four
steals. Freshman forward Alexandra
Blair contributed seven points and a pair of blocked shots in her
collegiate debut while freshmen guard Hilary
Murray (Clinton, NJ/North Hunterdon) had three steals to go with two points in her first collegiate game.
Junior guard Kate Harrison tossed in a game high 19
points and led three Moravian players in double figures as the Greyhounds
defeated Gwynedd-Mercy College, 83-69, in the first day of the Chuck Resler Tournament hosted by the University of Rochester.
Moravian will now face the host Yellowjackets, a
64-28 winner over Hamilton College, in the championship game. The Greyhounds
scored the first five points against Gwynedd-Mercy with sophomore guard forward
Amy Heffner hitting a lay-up for a 5-0 lead at the 17:58 mark, and Moravian led
the entire way. The Griffins pulled within 5-4 on a lay-up from Kristy
McGrath before the Greyhounds put together an11-3 run to build a nine-point
lead after a three-pointer from junior guard Amanda Brown at the 13:33 mark. Moravian’s lead would hit double
digits, 24-14, for the first time in the first half on a Harrison lay-up with
9:38 until the intermission. Brown
connected her third three-pointer of the half with 2:31 left in the first half
to give Moravian a 40-26 lead, its largest lead of the half. However, the
Greyhounds would not score again before halftime as Gwynedd-Mercy gut the
Greyhounds lead to 40-33 at the break. Moravian made 16 of 34 field goal
attempts (47.1 percent) in the first 20 minutes, and the Greyhounds were
three-for-five on three-pointers and five-for-six at the foul line in the first
half. Moravian did have a 24-22 edge in rebounds in the first half, and
the Greyhounds committed nine turnovers. The Griffins were 14-of-42 from
the floor (33.3 percent), two-for-ten on
three-pointers and three-of-five at the foul line in the first 20 minutes, and
Gwynedd-Mercy only have five turnovers in the first half. The Griffins started
the second half by continuing to close the gap, eventually pulling within three
points, 43-40, on a lay-up by Lauren Rosar. The
would be as close as Gwynedd-Mercy would get as the Greyhounds went on a 14-5
run to push their lead back to double digits, 57-45, on a jumper from junior
forward Kirsty Stearns (East Norwich, NY/Oyster Bay) with 10:50 to play. Moravian’s lead would stretch to 15 points,
64-49 on a Harrison free throw at
the 7:18 mark. Gwynedd-Mercy scored six straight points, capped by a free throw
from Stacey Judge to get the Moravian lead under ten
points for the final time at 64-55 with 6:14 remaining. The Greyhounds
answered with a 16-4 run finished off by a Brown
lay-up at the 2:55 mark as Moravian’s lead reached 21 points at
80-59. The Greyhounds shot the
ball well in the second half, making 16-of-33 field goals (48.5 percent),
two-for-three on three-pointers and nine-of-11 at the foul line (81.8
percent). Moravian made just six turnovers in the second half but saw the
Griffins hold a 28-15 advantage on the boards in the second half.
Gwynedd-Mercy was 12-of-38 from the floor, one-for-eight behind the three-point
line and 11-for-12 at the foul line in the final 20 minutes. The Griffins
had ten turnovers in the second half. Harrison
added a team high seven rebounds and three assists to her 19 points for Moravian.
Brown had 18 points while shooting
seven-of-ten from the floor and four-for-five on three-pointers, and Brown added four assists while junior
guard Jessica Foran
contributed 14 points, three assists and two rebounds. Stearns had eight
points, five rebounds and two assists for the Greyhounds while freshman forward
Alexandra Blair added seven points, five rebounds, two steals and a game high
four blocked shots. Junior forward Alyssa
Bisci (Easton, PA/Easton) contributed five points, five rebounds and
three steals for Moravian while Heffner
had six rebounds and four points in her first start for Moravian.
Freshman guard Hilary Murray had
three points, two rebounds and two assists in her first collegiate start while
junior forward Alyson Steltz (Emmaus,
PA/Emmaus) added three points
and two boards. Junior forward Lauren
Fornazor (Rivervale, NJ/Pascack Valley) had two points off the bench for the
Greyhounds.
Alex Porter had 17
points, 11 rebounds and six steals to lead fifth-ranked the University of Rochester
women’s basketball team to an 80-58 non-conference victory over Moravian in the
championship game of the Chuck Resler Tournament.
Porter, who was named the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player, led four Rochester
players in double figures as the Yellowjackets shot
31-of-67 from the field in the game (46.3 percent). The Greyhounds
suffered their first loss of the season playing the first of three straight
nationally-ranked opponents, and Moravian struggled shooting the ball, making
just 21 of 69 (30.4 percent) of its field goal attempts. Rochester scored first
on a pair of Porter free throws before Moravian put together a 6-0 run to take
a 6-2 lead on a jumper from junior forward Kirsty Stearns at the 17:11 mark. Junior forward Kate Harrison, who earned a spot on the
All-Tournament Team, gave the Greyhounds a 14-8 lead with 14:16 to go in the
first half. Jessica Mastronadi would get the
lead back for Rochester, 15-14, at the 12:35 mark with a jumper and a
three-pointer from Melissa Alwardt capped a 17-0 run
to give the Yellowjackets a 25-14 with 9:04 left in
the first half. Mastronardi hit a three-pointer at the 6:08 mark as Rochester
pushed its lead to 15 points, 32-17, its largest of the first half.
Moravian was able to counter with a 10-2 run finished off by a Harrison
three-pointer to cut the Yellowjacket lead to 34-27
with 3:37 remaining in the first 20 minutes. Rochester would head to the locker
room with a 42-3 lead after connecting on 16 of 37 field goal attempts, six of
15 three-pointers and all four of its free throw attempts in the first
half. The Yellowjackets had a 26-20 advantage
in rebounds in the first 20 minutes but Rochester also committed 12
turnovers. Moravian made just 12 of 38 field goal attempts (31.6 percent)
in the first half. The Greyhounds were a perfect seven-for-seven at the
foul line but just two-for-seven behind the three-point line. Moravian
also committed 11 first half turnovers. The Greyhounds started the second half
with a 5-0 lead to cut the Rochester lead to 42-37 on a Harrison jumper; however, that would be as close as Moravian would
get. The Yellowjackets scored the next seven
points to push their lead back to 49-37 on a lap-up by Rachel Stern.
Moravian would get the deficit back into single digits just once more on a
three-pointer from junior forward Alyssa
Bisci with 14:20 to go. Rochester’s lead would reach 20 points the first
time on a three-pointer from Alwardt at the 8:01
mark, 64-44, and the Yellowjackets took their biggest
lead of the night 25 points, 78-53, with 3:11 to go on a three-pointer from
Alicia Testani. Rochester was 15 of 30 from the
floor, four of eight on three-pointers and four of six at the foul line in the
second half. The Yellowjackets also finished
the contest with a 50-35 advantage on the boards. Moravian continued to
struggle shooting the ball in the second half, making just nine of 31 field
goal attempts (29.0 percent), three of nine three-pointers and four of five
free throws. Bisci led Moravian with
a season high 15 points to go with five rebounds while Harrison was in double figures for the third straight game with 13
points and four boards. Stearns
added eight points, three rebounds and two steals while freshman forward Alexandra Blair added seven points and
five rebounds. Sophomore guard/forward Amy Heffner had five rebounds and four points while freshman guard Hilary Murray contributed six points
and two assists. Junior guard Amanda
Brown was named to the All-Tournament Team with three points in the second
day of the tournament while junior guard Jessica
Foran had three assists and two points for
Moravian.
