SELINSGROVE, Pa. --- Graduate student forward Camille McPherson became the 22nd Moravian College women's basketball player to reach 500 career rebounds but the Greyhounds ended up falling to host Susquehanna University, 61-51, in Landmark Conference action Saturday.
The Hounds are now 13-6 overall and 3-5 in Landmark Conference play as the second half of the conference schedule started on Saturday. Moravian had two players in double figures with sophomores guard Karlie Brogan and forward Nadine Ewald each netting 12 points. Brogan added seven rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals while Ewald contributed nine boards and three blocked shots.
McPherson had a game-high 13 rebounds to give her 501 in her career at Moravian, which spans 72 games over the last three seasons, and she added nine points and a pair of assists in the contest. Sophomore guard Maddie Capuano had nine points and three assists while freshman guard Julia Sirotnak tossed in five points to go with five rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Senior forward Ciara Stewart had four points while senior forward Trista Cunningham added four rebounds and a pair of assists.
The Greyhounds struggled shooting the ball, making just 20-of-60 field goal attempts and 3-of-13 three-pointers. Moravian, which was 8-for-12 at the foul line, did have a 44-43 edge in rebounds. The Hounds were held 22 points under their season scoring average.
McPherson opened the scoring with a lay-up, and the Hounds had a 5-2 lead after a three-pointer by Brogan at the 7:26 mark. The Blue and Grey had a 7-6 edge after a jumper from Ewald, and Sirotnak tied the score at 9-9 with a jumper with just under a minute to play in the opening quarter. However, the River Hawks would get the last basket of the period and lead 11-9 after 10 minutes of action.
McPherson scored the first points of the second quarter to knot the score again at 11-11 before Susquehanna scored the next six points for a 17-11 edge. McPherson ended a seven-minute scoring draught for the Greyhounds to just the deficit to 17-13 with just 2:51 left in the first half. The River Hawks would end the quarter with a 10-2 run to head to the locker room with a 27-15 advantage.
Brogan scored the first basket of the third quarter and Ewald followed with a lay-up to get the deficit back to single digits at 27-19. Susquehanna would push the edge back to 12 points but three free throws by Brogan with no time left on the clock in the third period cut the deficit to 39-33 heading to the fourth quarter.
The Blue and Grey closed within four points on three occasions in the fourth quarter, the first at 41-37 on a jumper by Brogan with 7:49 to play and the last at 45-41 on a lay-up from Stewart with 5:26 remaining but Moravian was unable to get any closer.
The Greyhounds are scheduled to return to action on Wednesday, January 31 when the squad hosts No. 15 The University of Scranton in a Landmark Conference game beginning at 7:00 p.m. in Johnston Hall.
