BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College women's basketball team is heading to The University of Scranton on Saturday, March 1 to determine the 2014 Landmark Conference Championship and which of the schools will earn the conference's automatic berth to the 2014 NCAA Division III Tournament. Tip-off is slated for 4:30 p.m. at the John Long Center in Scranton.
Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children. All youth under the age of 10 are admitted free as are all students with a valid ID from any of the eight Landmark Conference institutions. College students without a Landmark school ID are $3.
The Greyhounds, who are the third seed in the Landmark Tournament, are 20-6 overall this season and finished the Landmark regular season with a 10-4 mark. The Royals, who earned the top seed, are 23-3 overall and were 13-1 in Landmark action with the lone loss coming to Moravian. During the regular season, each squad won on the other's home court by a point. On January 29, the Greyhounds rallied from a 37-29 halftime deficit in the Long Center to post a 66-65 victory on a pair of last second free throws by senior guard Katie O'Rourke. Last week, Scranton returned the favor by earning a 70-69 win in Johnston Hall on February 19.
The two squads are familiar foes in the postseason since the Landmark Conference began in 2007-08. Saturday's meeting will be the fifth time in seven years that they have met in the Landmark Tournament and the third time that the Greyhounds and the Royals have played in the Championship game. Scranton won the 2009 title, 71-57, in Scranton while Moravian captured the 2010 trophy, 66-49, in Bethlehem.
To reach Saturday's championship game, the Hounds knocked off two-time defending Landmark Champion and second seeded The Catholic University of America, 66-65, in overtime in Washington, D.C. while Scranton earned a 74-53 win over fourth seed Juniata College.
Saturday's winner receives the Landmark Conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament that tips off on March 7. The other team will fall into Pool C, looking for one of the 20 at-large berths into the tournament. In this week's final Mid-Atlantic Region rankings by the NCAA, Scranton is second in the region while the Greyhounds are fifth.
Moravian Head Coach Mary Beth Spirk has the Greyhounds in the postseason for the 13th straight season, and for the 24th time in her 27 seasons leading the Moravian program. Spirk has a career record of 507-236, earning her 500th career win at Drew back on January 15, and is looking to lead the Greyhounds to their fourth conference title that would go with a Landmark championship in 2010 and Middle Atlantic Conference titles in 1991 and 1992. Spirk has led Moravian to the NCAA Division III Tournament seven times in her tenure including the NCAA Division III National Championship game in 1992.
"This is what we've been playing for all season," Spirk stated. "We want a chance to win the Landmark Conference title and then make the next step into the NCAA Tournament. We've played some tight games with Scranton over the last few years, and by winning at their place in January, this team knows that they can win there and what it will take."
O'Rourke has been leading the Greyhounds on the court this season. O'Rourke is netting a team high 13.4 points per game, and she is grabbing 4.8 rebounds per contest. She also has a team high 93 assists with just 88 turnovers, and O'Rourke is leading the Hounds at the foul line at 81 percent (102-for-126).
Senior guard Danielle Brogan is tossing in 10.2 points per outing with a team-high 45 three-pointers including five in the Greyhounds' semifinal win at Catholic while sophomore forward Alesha Marcks has averages of 8.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Marcks leads the Hounds in shooting from the floor at 51.2 percent (85-for-166).
Senior forward Laura Jordan has led Moravian to a new school record in blocked shots by a team at 226 with Jordan recording 88 of the rejections. The Hounds lead all of NCAA Division III at 8.7 blocked shots per game, and Jordan is fifth individually at 3.67. She is also contributing a team-high 5.5 rebounds per outing to go with 8.3 points per game.
Senior forward Ericka Blair has been another force inside for the Hounds since junior forward Alexis Wright was lost to a season-ending injury on December 9. Blair has contributed 7.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest to go with 29 blocked shots after an 11-point, seven-rebound performance Wednesday night.
Senior guard Alyssa Hann leads Moravian with 56 steals to go with 58 assists against just 48 turnovers, and she hit the three-pointer to send the semifinal game into overtime and two free throws to seal the victory. Freshman guard Nellie Tanguay has contributed 79 points in her debut season, and she is second on the squad with 19 three-pointers. Junior guard Emily MacDonnell has 78 points, 50 assists and 15 three-pointers this winter while freshman guard Morgan Calabrese has 66 points and 16 treys in her debut season.
Freshman forward Natalie Vanderlaan-Meyering has contributed 39 points, 26 rebounds and 16 blocked shots in a reserve role for the Greyhounds while sophomore guard Marie Rossignoli has 44 points and 29 boards. Sophomore forward Karlee Corvasce has seen more action in the second half of the season while adding 30 rebounds and 18 points. Moravian also has received contributions from freshmen Tristen Hamilton, Cori Weiss, Courtney Kruscavage and Shannon Zimmerman.
"It was unfortunate to lose a player of Alexis' caliber to an injury; however, the captains and the seniors came together and decided they weren't going to let that end their season," Spirk said. "They had worked too hard in their careers to just give up. Everyone has stepped up their game over the last two and a half months into different roles to get us to this point. I think it has made us a stronger team, and one that is tough to prepare for because you never know which player is going to step up in any given game."
The Greyhounds will be ready to show that mentality on Saturday when they arrive at the Long Center for the championship game.
