HUNTINGDON, Pa. --- Senior forward Ericka Blair tossed in 11 of her 13 points in the first half including a three-pointer at the buzzer to help the Moravian College women's basketball team build a nine-point halftime lead that the Greyhounds turned into a 71-59 win at No. 23 Juniata College Saturday to begin the 2013-14 Landmark Conference season.
The win was the sixth straight for Moravian, which was playing its second nationally-ranked team of the season from the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll. It was also the sixth consecutive game that the Greyhounds trailed at some point in the first half and eventually earned the victory.
"Our defense was outstanding today," stated Head Coach Mary Beth Spirk. "Juniata was averaging nearly 90 points a game (87.5), and we held them to 59 points on their home court. Everyone stepped up to play today, especially with Alexis playing limited minutes.. I'm also happy for the seniors. This was their fifth trip to Juniata including a playoff game, and today was their first win here."
Senior guard Katie O'Rourke tossed in a team-high 17 points to lead three Greyhounds in double figures, and O'Rourke added nine rebounds and six assists. Blair, who was 5-for-5 in the first half, had five rebounds to go with her 13 points while senior guard Danielle Brogan added 10 points and four steals.
"Ericka was tenacious on defense this afternoon, getting steals, blocking shots and giving us energy when we needed it," Spirk explained. "I'm sure Juniata was asking themselves who is Ericka Blair because I'm sure she wasn't on the scouting report. Katie had another great second half."
Junior forward Alexis Wright was limited to 16 minutes of action due to foul trouble but stilled added nine points and four rebounds while sophomore forward Alesha Marcks added eight points and five boards off of the bench with Blair. Sophomore guard Emily MacDonnell tossed in six points while senior forward Laura Jordan and senior guard Alyssa Hann each had four points with Jordan adding eight rebounds and Hann dishing out three assists.
"The bench play today was huge," Spirk said. "We needed everyone to contribute. We're going to be tough and deep to play against this season. We used five players off the bench and Juniata only used two so I think we wore them down. Our ability to go deep on the bench will just make us better and better as the season goes on."
The Greyhounds received a total of 27 points off of the bench, the fourth time in the six-game winning streak that the bench has contributed at least 20 points in a contest.
Junior guard Kelsey Livoti led Juniata with 19 points and six rebounds while senior forward Kate McDonald had a double-double of 17 points and 11 boards. Sophomore guard Paige Dennison added nine points for the Eagles.
Juniata opened the scoring with the first three points of the game before Wright tied the contest with a three-point play at the 17:55 mark. The Eagles pulled ahead 10-5 on a jumper by Livoti but the Greyhounds answered with a 6-0 run to take their first lead of the game, 11-10, on a lay-up by MacDonnell. Juniata answered with a 5-0 run to build a 15-11 lead on a three-pointer from Olivia Halfpenny.
Moravian tied the game at 17-17 on a jumper by Marcks with 8:12 left in the first half, and the basket started a 6-0 run by the Greyhounds that built a 21-17 lead on two baskets by Blair. After Juniata tied the game, Moravian moved back in front on a jumper by Brogan, and the Hounds pushed the lead to six, 27-21.
Blair's banked-in a three-pointer at the buzzer sent the Greyhounds to the locker room with a 37-28 lead. Moravian was hot from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, making 16-of-32 field goal attempts to go with a 4-for-5 effort at the foul line. The Greyhounds also had a 20-15 edge on the boards in the first half while Juniata connected on just 12-of-31 field goal attempts and 2-of-6 free throws.
"I think Ericka's shot gave us a boost of confidence going into halftime," stated Spirk. "I had a good angle on it and thought it was wide but was glad we at least got a shot off. When it banked it, the players were pumped in the locker room. We knew Juniata wouldn't lie down in the second half but we came out with confidence and were able to bounce back after they cut the lead to two."
Juniata started the second half with a 9-2 run to pull within two points, 39-37, on a free throw by Livoti with 15:59 to play. Blair made sure the lead did not get any closer with another jumper and a jumper from O'Rourke at 13:49 put the Hounds in front 43-38.
Hann gave Moravian a 49-38 lead with a jumper at 10:52, and the Greyhounds pushed the lead to 17 points, 57-40, on a three-point play from Marcks with 8:41 remaining. Moravian would keep its lead in double figures for the rest of the game.
The Greyhounds kept up their hot shooting in the second half, connecting on 15-of-29 field goals, 1-of-3 three-pointers and 3-of-4 free throws. Moravian finished the game with a 37-30 edge in rebounds, just the second time in seven games this season that the Hounds had an advantage on the boards.
Moravian will return to action on Monday, December 9 when the Greyhounds host Centenary (N.J.) College in a non-conference game at Johnston Hall with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m.
