Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer

McPherson Records 6th Double-Double as Hounds Top No. 14 Scranton on the Road

McPherson Records 6th Double-Double as Hounds Top No. 14 Scranton on the Road

SCRANTON, Pa. --- The Moravian College women's basketball team went on the road and knocked off No. 14 The University of Scranton, 87-83, in Landmark Conference action Wednesday evening for the Greyhounds' fourth consecutive win.

The Hounds improve to 15-5 overall and 7-2 in Landmark Conference play as the Blue and Grey take over sole possession of second place in the conference standings with five regular season games remaining. The win also marked the second time in four years that Moravian had gone to Scranton and defeated the Royals while they were nationally-ranked with the Greyhounds earning a 66-65 win on January 29, 2014 while Scranton was ranked No. 25.

"We played hard for 40 minutes and never hung our heads," commented Head Coach Mary Beth Spirk. "It was a great team-win on the road in a tough environment."

Moravian had four players in double figures led by senior forward Camille McPherson, who had 23 points. McPherson also picked up her sixth double-double of the season and her career as she pulled down 10 rebounds to go with three assists. Freshman guard Maddie Capuano contributed 17 points, four rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals while freshman guard Karlie Brogan tied her career-high with 15 points to go with two boards and two assists. Freshman center Nadine Ewald was also in double figures with 12 points to go with five rebounds and three assists.

The Greyhounds shot 31-of-52 from the floor (59.6 percent), 7-for-13 beyond the three-point line (54.8 percent) and 18-for-24 at the foul line (75 percent) while the quartet in double figures was 24-of-40 from the field, 7-of-12 on three-pointers and 12-of-15 at the charity stripe.

Senior guard Morgan Calabrese tossed in nine points to go along with six boards and three assists while junior forward Trista Cunningham contributed eight points and six rebounds. Junior center Ciara Stewart had three points while junior guard Taylor Freeman dished out two assists.

The Royals opened up a 4-0 lead before Moravian got on the scoreboard on a pair of free throws from Ewald about two and a half minutes into action. Scranton would hold onto the lead until the 3:29 mark of the first period when Brogan drilled a three-pointer to put the Hounds up 12-10. The Royals answered with seven straight points to build a 17-12 advantage but a lay-up by Cunningham with 17 seconds left in the first quarter had the score tied at 19-19 after 10 minutes of action.

Calabrese hit a jumper to start the second quarter as Moravian moved in front. Capuano connected on a three-pointer at 8:32 as Moravian led by four points, 27-23. The Royals would retake the lead, 32-30, on a three-pointer with 4:10 before the intermission, and Scranton pushed the lead to five points, 36-31, with 3:06 left. The Blue and Grey stepped up the defense and did not allow the Royals to score again in the first half while Brogan gave Moravian the lead back with a minute to play. Calabrese connected on a jumper to beat the buzzer and send the Greyhounds to the locker room with a 39-36 lead.

The Royals scored the first four points of the second half to take a 40-39 advantage, and Scranton eventually turned that into a 49-43 edge with 5:25 left in the quarter. That ended up being the Royals largest lead of the contest. Moravian still trailed by five points, 54-49, with 2:46 left in the third period but a three-point play by Brogan and a three-pointer from Capuano had the Hounds back in front, 55-54. Capuano added two free throws just before the end of the third quarter to give Moravian a 63-60 lead after 30 minutes of play.

The squads traded the lead early in the final period with the Royals leading 68-67 with 7:58 to play. McPherson hit a jumper and a three-pointer, and Ewald followed with a lay-up as Moravian moved ahead 74-68. Scranton answered by scoring eight of the next 10 points to tie the score for the eighth time in the contest at 76-76 with 4:33 remaining. McPherson put Moravian back ahead with a jumper, and Calabrese and Ewald added buckets as the Blue and Grey took an 82-76 lead with 1:43 on the clock. The Hounds would ice the game in the final 16 seconds with McPherson draining 3-of-4 free throws and Cunningham dropping in two foul shots to seal the victory.

The Greyhounds are slated to return to action on Saturday, February 4 in a Landmark Conference game at Elizabethtown College tipping off at 2:00 p.m.