Greyhounds Rally in Fourth for Landmark Conference Win over Juniata

BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University women's basketball squad rallied from a two-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter for a 53-50 victory over visiting Juniata College in Landmark Conference action Wednesday afternoon in a raucous Johnston Hall with the entire student body from William Penn Elementary School and the fifth graders from Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in attendance.

How It Happened

• The Greyhounds needed just four seconds off the opening tip as junior forward Brielle Guarente took the tip from senior forward Sam Osorio in for a quick lay-up. Freshman guard Lizzie Lustig added a lay-up for a 4-0 lead before the Eagles scored with just under seven minutes left in the first period. Juniata scored five more points to take an 8-4 edge while the Hounds would get just a free throw from Osorio with ten seconds left in the quarter as the Eagles led 8-5 after ten minutes of action
• The Blue & Grey began the second quarter with a 9-0 run to retake the lead. Lustig had a traditional three-point play to open the scoring in the period, and a jumper from Guarente at the 6:50 mark had Moravian up 14-8. Juniata netted the next five points, the Eagles' only points of the quarter, while Guarente three free throws to send the Hounds to the locker room with a 17-13 advantage
• Osorio hit a lay-up to push the Greyhounds' back to six points at the start of the third quarter; however, Juniata eventually knotted the score at 21-21 nearing the midpoint of the period. The squads would see three ties and five lead changes of the rest of the quarter with the Eagles holding a 37-35 edge after 30 minutes of play with a buzzer beating three-pointer
• Osorio connected on a three-point play just 14 seconds into the fourth quarter as Moravian retook the lead for good. The Hounds netted the first nine points of the final period for a 44-37 lead, and the Blue & Grey led by as many as eight points after a jumper from freshman center Grace Steffen with just over a minute to play

Inside the Numbers

• Moravian had three players in double figures led by Guarente, who tossed in 16 points to tie her career high and go along with five rebounds and three steals
• Osorio added 14 points, nine boards, a career-high seven blocked shots and a pair of steals while Steffen recorded her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds to go along with three blocked shots
• Lustig finished with five points and six rebounds while sophomore guard Jayda Cartagena contributed six boards, three points and two steals
• Sophomore guard Juliana Vassallo also had three points while senior guard Reganne Flannery recorded four rebounds, three assists and three steals
• The Hounds shot 16-for-52 from the field, just 1-for-11 beyond the three-point line and 20-for-28 at the charity stripe
• The Blue & Grey finished with a 44-35 advantage on the boards, and the Greyhounds blocked 11 shots and made 13 steals

Up Next for the Greyhounds

• Saturday, January 6 at Lycoming College, 3:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, January 10 vs. No. 5 The University of Scranton, 7:00 p.m.