BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The nationally-ranked No. 21 Moravian College women's basketball team defeated Landmark Conference foe Goucher College, 55-44, Saturday evening. Sophomore forward Alexis Wright led the Greyhounds (12-1, 3-0 Landmark) with a double-double off of 17 points and 14 rebounds to go with her three blocks.
Moravian started the game quickly, jumping out to a 6-0 lead just one minute in with points by senior guard Amanda Kreuder, junior center Laura Jordan and Wright. Junior forward TaQuasia Lambert put the first points on the board for the Gophers (4-8, 0-2 Landmark) with a layup to make the score 6-2 four minutes into the contest.
A steal from Wright led to bucket from junior guard Katie O'Rourke, but the Gophers responded with a 6-0 run with scores by Lambert, freshman center Amaka Ezeani and junior guard Sharnell Huff for the 10-8 lead seven minutes in. A turnaround layup from junior forward Ericka Blair knotted the game up at ten on the next possession.
Both teams exchanged scores until a mid-range jumper from freshman guard Steph Peterson put Moravian back on top at 16-14 with seven minutes left in the first half. Back-to-back scores from Huff put the Goucher on top 18-16 with five minutes to play in the half. The Gophers pulled ahead, but a layup from Wright with 30 seconds to play in the half knotted the game at 21. The Greyhounds and Gophers took the tie into the locker room.
Wright led Moravian in the half with seven points and seven rebounds while Lambert led Goucher with eight points and three boards. The Greyhounds shot 26-percent from the field while the Gophers shot 24-percent from the field in the first half. Moravian held the edge in rebounds at 31-25 while Goucher committed six less turnovers.
O'Rourke tallied the first point of the second half with a free throw. Back-to-back jumpers from Ezeani and junior guard Precious Kollock put the Gophers up 26-24 five minutes into the half. A jumper from the top of the key by Wright put the Greyhounds back on top 28-27 six minutes into the second half.
Freshman forward Alesha Marcks put Moravian up by four at 33-29 after driving in for the layup while getting fouled. She converted the three-point play with 11:46 to play in the contest. A jump shot and two free throws from Jordan extended the Hounds lead to 37-31 with ten minutes remaining.
Two minutes later, Wright went in for the tough layup to push Moravian's lead to 42-34 over Goucher. Marcks made it 44-34 with a layup, and Peterson added a jumper for the 46-35 lead with six minutes left in the contest. Huff answered for Goucher with a three from the corner, and freshman guard Ebonie Diggs added a 15-footer to make the score 46-40 with 5:34 left in the game.
A layup from Wright and junior guard Alyssa Hann put the Greyhounds back up by double-digits at 50-40 with three minutes left in the contest. Back-to-back jumpers from Ezeani and senior guard Shante Atkinson put the Gophers within reach at 50-44, but a layup by Wright made the score 52-44 with a minute to go. The Greyhounds added three more points as they won 55-44 for their 12th victory of the season.
Jordan put up nine points and ten rebounds while O'Rourke had nine points, six rebounds and four assists for Moravian. Kreuder had seven boards, four assists and four points while Marcks finished with five points, five rebounds and two blocks.
Goucher was led by Huff, who had ten points and five rebounds. Freshman forward Olivia Nono had 12 rebounds while Lambert put up eight points and three steals.
The Greyhounds shot 30-percent from the field while the Gophers shot 26-percent from the field for the game. Moravian held the rebounding advantage at 56-45 while Goucher committed two less turnovers.
The Greyhounds return to the court on Wednesday, January 9th as they host Landmark Conference rival Drew University. The contest is set for 7 p.m.
