CAPE COD, MA --- The Moravian College women's basketball team has been awarded the top seed in the 2013 Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III South Championship Tournament announced Monday, and the Greyhounds will host eighth seed Neumann University, 13-13 this winter, for a quarterfinal game on Wednesday, February 27th at 7:00 p.m. in Johnston Hall.
Moravian, which is 20-6 overall this season, will be making its 14th appearance in the ECAC Tournament, and the Greyhounds have won a pair of ECAC South Championships, one in 1987 and the other in 2007. The program has finished as the ECAC South Runner-Up on six occasions including 2012.
Wednesday's other quarterfinal games will feature second seed Swarthmore College (20-7) hosting seventh seed Marywood University (15-12), third seed Washington & Jefferson College (20-8) hosting sixth seed Penn State-Behrend (17-10) and fourth seed Juniata College (18-8) hosting fifth seed Carnegie Mellon University (13-12). The semifinals and championship are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, March 2nd & 3rd at the highest remaining seed. With a victory Wednesday night, Moravian will host the ECAC semifinals and finals for the second straight year.
Moravian head coach Mary Beth Spirk has the Greyhounds in the postseason for the 23rd time in her 26 years as head coach. Spirk, who has an overall record of 485-229, has the Greyhounds looking for the program's third ECAC Championship. She led Moravian to an 11-3 Landmark Conference regular season record and the conference tournament for the 13th straight year last week.
Leading the Greyhounds on the court this season has been sophomore forward Alexis Wright, who was named the 2013 Pete Nevins Lehigh Valley Small College Women's Basketball Player of the Year two weeks ago. Wright is averaging 16.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, and she has added 56 blocked shots, 48 steals and 39 assists. Wright became the 18th player in school history to reach 500 career rebounds in the Greyhounds regular season finale at Catholic University of America.
Junior guard Katie O'Rourke is the only other Moravian player scoring in double figures this season with an average of 10.8 points per game, and she is adding 5.7 rebounds per contest. O'Rourke leads the Greyhounds with 113 assists and 62 steals while committing just 83 turnovers in a team high 804 minutes played. Junior forward Laura Jordan has contributed 52 blocked shots, and Jordan has averages of 9.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per outing as well as 26 assists and 24 steals.
Senior guard Amanda Kreuder is netting 8.0 points in her final season, and she has added 93 rebounds, 54 assists and 41 steals while junior guard Danielle Brogan has a team high 42 three-pointers in addition to 8.1 points per game, 97 rebounds, 24 steals, 26 assists and 11 blocked shots. Freshman forward Alesha Marcks, the only reserve to see action off the bench in all 26 games this season for the Greyhounds, has an average of 6.0 points per contest to go with 87 rebounds, 21 assists, 13 blocked shots and 13 steals. Marcks leads the Greyhounds with a 53.7 (66-for-123) shooting percentage from the field.
Junior guard Alyssa Hann has contributed 51 points, 37 rebounds, 23 assists and 27 steals since returning to the line-up after missing the first nine games of the season with an injury. Freshman guard Karine Polgar has 59 points, 48 rebounds, 26 assists, 28 steals and ten blocked shots in her debut season while junior forward Ericka Blair has added 76 rebounds, 56 points, ten assists, six steals and four blocked shots. Freshman guard Emily MacDonnell has 51 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists as a reserve for the Greyhounds this season while freshman guard Steph Peterson has added 47 points, 33 rebounds, 11 assists and eight steals.
Neumann is 13-13 on the season and was 11-5 during the regular season in the Colonial States Athletic Conference. The Knights, under the direction of eighth-year coach Frank Farnese, are making their third appearance in the ECAC South Championships after reaching the tournament in 2007 and 2009.
For the full 2013 ECAC Division III South Bracket, visit www.ecacsports.com.
