Moravian Women Play at Juniata College in Landmark Semifinals on Wednesday
The Moravian College women’s basketball team will make its 11th straight appearance in the postseason as the Greyhounds are the fourth seed in the 2012 Landmark Conference Tournament and will travel to top seeded and nationally ranked Juniata College for a semifinal contest on Wednesday, February 22nd at 7:00 p.m. in the Kennedy Sports and Recreation Center in Huntingdon.
BETHLEHEM, PA --- The Moravian College women's basketball team will make its 11th straight appearance in the postseason as the Greyhounds are the fourth seed in the 2012 Landmark Conference Tournament and will travel to top seeded and nationally ranked Juniata College for a semifinal contest on Wednesday, February 22nd at 7:00 p.m. in the Kennedy Sports and Recreation Center in Huntingdon.
Tickets for Landmark Conference tournament games are $5 for adults ages 18 to 61, $3 for senior citizens, students and children ages 10-17, and all students from Landmark Conference institutions are free with college ID. Live stats and video of the game will be available at Moraviansports.com.
Wednesday's other semifinal contest will have second-seeded The University of Scranton hosting third-seed The Catholic University of America at 5:30 p.m. The winners of Wednesday's semifinal games will meet on Saturday, February 25th at the highest remaining seed for the 2012 Landmark Conference Championship and the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.
The Greyhounds, who are making their 27th appearance in conference postseason play with an all-time mark of 26-24 and three conference championships, are 15-10 overall this season, and the squad posted an 8-6 mark in Landmark Conference regular season action. Moravian Head Coach Mary Beth Spirk has the Greyhounds in the playoffs for the 22nd time in her 25 years as head coach, and she has an overall record of 463-221.
Leading the Greyhounds is senior forward Alexandra Blair (Easton, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic HS) with team highs of 13.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Blair, who enters the game just ten points shy of becoming Moravian's 22nd 1,000-point scorer for women, also has 84 blocked shots, 49 assists and 23 steals while playing a team high 28.8 minutes per game. Blair earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team at the 11th Annual Starters Moravian Winter Classic back in January, and she has earned Landmark Conference Player of the Week honors twice this season as well as ECAC South Player of the Week honors twice and D3hoops.com Team of the Week accolades once. Blair is the school record holder with 297 blocked shots, and she is eighth in school history with 687 rebounds in 108 career games. This season, Blair is shooting 74.2 percent at the foul line, making 66 of 89 free throw attempts, and she has nine double-doubles including the first triple-double in school history.
Freshman forward Alexis Wright (Shillington, Pa./Governor Mifflin HS) is complementing Blair on the inside with averaged of 11.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest in her debut campaign to go with 45 blocked shots, 39 steals and 20 assists. Wright, who has five double-doubles this season and was the Most Valuable Player of the Starters Moravian Winter Classic and the Landmark Conference Player of the Week on January 9th, has started 23 of 25 games, and she is fourth in minutes per game at 26.2.
Junior guard Amanda Kreuder (Stanhope, N.J./Morris Catholic HS) is contributing 9.2 points per outing, and she has added 70 rebounds, 58 assists and 33 steals while seeing 26.6 minutes of action a game. Sophomore guard Katie O'Rourke (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra HS) is tossing in 7.8 points and grabbing 5.8 rebounds per game to go with 58 assists and a team high 45 steals while averaging 26.8 minutes per contest. O'Rourke has one double-double this season.
Sophomore guard Danielle Brogan (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills HS) leads Moravian with 43 three-pointers this winter to go with a scoring average of 7.2 points per game, and she has added 67 rebounds, 24 steals, 12 assists and six blocked shots. Senior guard Hilary Murray (Clinton, N.J./North Hunterdon HS) leads the Greyhounds with 81 assists in her final campaign, and Murray is adding 5.6 points per game with 58 rebounds, 40 steals, 11 three-pointers and seven blocked shots.
Sophomore forward/center Laura Jordan (Easton, Pa./Easton HS) is contributing 4.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per outing off the bench for Moravian with 18 blocked shots, eight assists and seven steals. Sophomore guard Alyssa Hann (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth HS), who earned a spot on the Starters Moravian Winter Classic All-Tournament Team, has 80 points, 44 rebounds, 41 assists, 35 steals and five three-pointers for the Greyhounds while sophomore guard Laura Casey (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Holy Redeemer HS) has added 62 points, 32 rebounds, 26 assists, 11 steals and five blocked shots off the bench.
Sophomore forward Erika Blair (Easton, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic HS), who is out for the remainder of the season with an injury, had 41 points, 17 rebounds, nine steals and six blocked shots in limited action.. Senior guard Cassandra Phillips (Orwigsburg, PA/Nativity BVM HS) has added 12 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in her final season while junior guard Katie Marakos (Absecon, N.J./Holy Spirit HS) has 18 points, five rebounds and three steals. Sophomore guard Sarah LaFerrara (Whippany, N.J./Whippany Park HS) has nine rebounds, eight points and five steals in limited action for the Greyhounds while freshman guard Casey Bill (Penllyn, Pa./Wissahickon HS) has six assists, three points, three steals and two boards in her debut season. Junior guard Alyssa Baranovich (Nesquehoning, Pa./Panther Valley HS) has contributed four rebounds, two assists and two points this winter.
Nationally-ranked Juniata, which defeated Moravian, 77-55, in Huntingdon on January 9th and, 63-60, in Bethlehem on February 4th, finished the regular season with 24-1 overall record and a perfect 14-0 slate in Landmark Conference action. The Eagles are currently ranked 11th in the USA Today/Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division III Top 25 Poll and 13th in the D3hoops.com Top 25.
Juniata is under the direction of ninth-year head coach Danny Young-Ulrich, who has the Eagles looking for their second straight Landmark Conference title. Senior guard Ashton Bankos leads Juniata on the court with averages of 13.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game to go with 83 assists, 68 steals and 23 three-pointers. Sophomore forward Kate McDonald is contributing 12.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per contest to go along with 76 assists, 72 steals and 23 blocked shots for the Eagles while junior guard Jordan Speck is adding 8.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per outing with a team high 38 three-pointers, 57 assists, 37 steals and 16 blocked shots.
