BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Senior forward Camille McPherson tossed in a career-high 35 points to lead the Moravian College women's basketball team but the young Greyhounds were unable to overcome 30 turnovers as the Blue and Grey fell to FDU-Florham, 87-83, in non-conference action in Johnston Hall Tuesday evening.
The Hounds, who dropped their second straight contest by four points after winning three in a row to begin the season, held a 37-35 lead at halftime, and Moravian had a 57-32 advantage on the glass including 22-7 on offensive rebounds but each time Moravian would get close late in the game, the Greyhounds, who started two freshmen and had four players in their first year of collegiate basketball, lost control of the ball as the Devils forced Moravian into 30 turnovers while only committing 17.
"We turned the ball over too much, and you can't win games with 30 turnovers," commented Head Coach Mary Beth Spirk. "We played hard, and again, we gave ourselves a chance to win the game but we had too many people in foul trouble that affected how we could play."
McPherson netted 20 of her game-high 35 points in the second half to go with nine rebounds and two steals while senior guard Morgan Calabrese added 15 points, four rebounds and a pair of assists. Freshman guard Maddie Capuano was the third Greyhound in double figures with 14 points to go along with a career-best six rebounds and four assists.
Freshman guard Karlie Brogan had a career and team-high 11 rebounds to go with nine points, two assists and a pair of blocked shots while junior center Ciara Stewart, who is in her first season on the basketball court after two years on Moravian's indoor track & field team, had a career-high 10 boards, six points and two blocked shots. Freshman center Nadine Ewald made her first collegiate start and contributed five rebounds and two points while junior forward Trista Cunningham had four boards and two points. Sophomore forward Ariana Caiati, who is also in her first season with the Hounds, grabbed four boards.
The Devils scored the first seven points of the game before a lay-up by Brogan three and a half minutes into action. FDU-Florham pushed the lead to eight points but a put back shot by Ewald had the Greyhounds down just 19-17 with 1:32 left in the first quarter. The Devils scored the final two points of the period to lead 21-17 after 10 minutes of action.
FDU-Florham pushed the lead to eight points early in the second quarter before Moravian tied the contest for the first time at 29-29 on a pair of free throws from Capuano with 5:04 until the intermission. McPherson pushed gave the Hounds a 32-30 lead with a three-pointer, and she pushed the edge to 34-30 with a pair of free throws with 1:50 before halftime. Capuano scored off of an offensive rebound late to send Moravian to the locker room with a 37-35 lead.
The third quarter would go back-and-forth with Moravian leading by four points, 43-39, on a lay-up by Calabrese three minutes into the period. With the game tied at 47-47, the Devils scored six straight and held a 61-57 lead after 30 minutes of play.
FDU-Florham maintained an advantage early in the fourth quarter, pushing the lead to 7064 with just over five minutes left in the contest. McPherson pulled the Greyhounds even at 72-72 with her fourth three-pointer of the contest with 3:01 on the clock. Moravian moved back in front, 75-74, on a lay-up by Brogan after a steal by Calabrese with just under two minutes to play. However, the Devils scored eight straight to take the lead for good with the Greyhounds closing within two points on a pair of free throws from Capuano with five ticks on the clock.
Moravian is scheduled to return to action on Thursday, December 1 in a non-conference game at Wilkes University tipping off at 7:00 p.m.
