BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College women's basketball team is the third seed in the 2017 Landmark Conference Tournament and is set to travel to second seed The University of Scranton in a semifinal game on Wednesday, February 22 tipping off at 5:30 p.m. in 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, faculty and staff with a valid ID from any of the nine Landmark Conference institutions. College students without a Landmark school ID and seniors are $3.
The Greyhounds are 19-6 overall this season and finished the Landmark regular season with an 11-3 mark while the Royals, who are ranked No. 19 in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, are 22-3 overall and were also 11-3 in Landmark action. Scranton owned the tiebreaker with a win over top seed The Catholic University of America. During the regular season, each team won on the road with Scranton posting 76-55 win in Johnston Hall on January 18, and Moravian winning 72-66 in the Long Center on February 1.
Wednesday's other semifinal game has Catholic hosting fourth seed Elizabethtown College at 7:00 p.m. The top remaining seed will host the 2017 Landmark Conference title game on Saturday, February 25 at a time to be announced with an automatic berth to the 2017 NCAA Division III Tournament on the line.
Moravian Head Coach Mary Beth Spirk has the Greyhounds heading to the postseason for the 16th straight season, and for the 27th time in her 30 seasons leading the Moravian program. The Greyhounds are making their ninth Landmark Conference Tournament appearance after missing out in 2014-15 on a tiebreaker for the first time in the history of the conference. Spirk has a career record of 561-264 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 nine times in her tenure including the NCAA Division III National Championship game in 1992 and a first round win at the University of New England last March.
On the court this season, senior forward Camille McPherson leads Moravian in scoring at 23.1 points per game, and her 578 points this winter are the third most in a single season in school history. McPherson also leads the Hounds on the boards at 8.8 rebounds per game to go with a team high 53 three-pointers and eight double-doubles. She has added 72 assists, 18 steals and 14 blocked shots, and McPherson is shooting 83.1 percent at the foul line (133-of-160), 48.4 percent from the floor (196-of-405) and 40.2 percent beyond the arc (53-of-132). This winter, McPherson has already been named the Lehigh Valley Small College Women's Basketball Pete Nevins Player of the Year while earning a spot on the LVSCB Team of the Year, and she is a four-time Landmark Conference Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week honoree in 2016-17.
Freshman guard Maddie Capuano, who has started all 25 games and is one of three freshmen to start at least 21 games for Moravian this winter, is scoring 12.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest. Capuano, who earned ECAC Division III Metro Rookie of the Week honors once, has also contributed 61 assists, 51 steals and 43 three-pointers, and she is shooting 81.7 percent (76-of-93) at the foul line.
Freshman center Nadine Ewald, who has started 21 of 22 games she has played in, and senior guard Morgan Calabrese are both netting 9.7 points per contest with Ewald adding 8.2 rebounds per game, 18 blocked shots, 16 steals, 13 assists and five double-doubles. Calabrese has dished out a team-high 91 assists to go with 96 rebounds, 23 steals and 18 three-pointers.
Freshman guard Karlie Brogan, who has started 24 games, is contributing 7.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per outing to go along with 45 steals, 29 assists, 18 three-pointers and 15 blocked shots with one double-double. Junior forward Trista Cunningham has averages of 5.0 points and 4.5 rebounds, and she has 18 blocked shots, 13 steals and 11 assists while junior center Ciara Stewart has a team-high 21 blocked shots to go with 105 points, 68 rebounds, seven steals and three assists in her first season with the program.
Sophomore forward Ariana Caiati has contributed 50 rebounds, 45 points, six assists and four blocked shots in her first year at Moravian while junior guard Taylor Freeman has added 19 points, 16 rebounds, 14 assists and three steals. Junior forward Jen Cella has 22 rebounds, nine blocked shots, five points and five assists while sophomore guard Emily Walls has eight points and four rebounds.
Junior guard Kayla Csencsits, sophomore guard/forward Caitlin Flanagan sophomore guard Tyis Mullen and freshman guard Brooke Santy all have four points this winter with Santy adding 11 assists and nine rebounds and Csencsits grabbing seven boards. Freshman forward Christine Neu has contributed three rebounds and two points.
Coach Spirk has the Greyhounds aiming for their 19th 20-win season in the 40th season since Title IX in Wednesday's Landmark Conference Semifinal game.
