CENTERVILLE, Mass. --- Moravian College is set to host the semifinals and finals of the 2013 Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Women's South Basketball Championship in Johnston Hall on Saturday and Sunday, March 2nd & 3rd. The eight-team, single-elimination tournament began on Wednesday, February 27th with four quarterfinal games at the top four seeds.
Top seed Moravian posted a 72-52 win over eighth seed Neumann University while second seed Swarthmore College defeated seventh seeded Marywood University, 67-61. Third seed Washington & Jefferson College earned a 62-59 victory versus fifth seed Penn State-Behrend while fourth seed Juniata College ran past fifth seeded Carnegie Mellon University 94-80.
The Greyhounds, hosting the tournament for the second straight year and the fourth time since 2003, will play Juniata at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday in a battle of Landmark Conference teams while Swarthmore and Washington & Jefferson will battle in the first semifinal contest at 2:00 p.m. The semifinal winners will play for the 2013 ECAC Division III Women's South Championship at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. You can follow the tournament with live stats and live video by clicking here.
Tickets for each day of the tournament are $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens (62+) and students. Children under age 6 are free as are students from the participating schools by showing a valid college ID.
Moravian enters the weekend with an overall record of 21-6, and the Greyhounds posted an 11-3 mark in Landmark Conference action. Moravian is making its 14th trip to the ECAC South Championships, 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.
Leading the Greyhounds on the court this season has been sophomore forward Alexis Wright, who is averaging 16.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, and she has added a team high 58 blocked shots, 52 steals and 40 assists. Junior guard Katie O'Rourke is the only other Moravian player scoring in double figures this season with an average of 10.9 points per game, and she is adding 5.7 rebounds per contest. O'Rourke leads the Greyhounds with 117 assists and 65 steals while committing just 84 turnovers in a team high 832 minutes played. Junior forward Laura Jordan has contributed 55 blocked shots, and Jordan has averages of 9.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per outing as well as 26 assists and 25 steals.
Senior guard Amanda Kreuder is netting 8.0 points in her final season, and she has added 93 rebounds, 57 assists and 41 steals while junior guard Danielle Brogan has a team high 44 three-pointers in addition to 8.1 points per game, 101 rebounds, 24 steals, 20 assists and 11 blocked shots. Freshman forward Alesha Marcks has an average of 6.0 points per contest to go with 91 rebounds, 21 assists, 13 blocked shots and 15 steals. Marcks leads the Greyhounds with a 51.5 (69-for-134) shooting percentage from the field.
Junior guard Alyssa Hann has contributed 55 points, 41 rebounds, 27 assists and 30 steals. Freshman guard Karine Polgar has 63 points, 51 rebounds, 27 assists, 28 steals and ten blocked shots while junior forward Ericka Blair has added 79 rebounds, 58 points, ten assists, seven steals and four blocked shots. Freshman guard Emily MacDonnell has 53 points, 16 rebounds and 13 assists while freshman guard Steph Peterson has added 47 points, 35 rebounds, 11 assists and eight steals.
Swarthmore is 21-7 overall this season and is making its third appearance in the ECAC Tournament. The Garnet were the runner-up in 2003, their last appearance, and Swarthmore was 15-5 in Centennial Conference action this winter.
Junior guard Katie Lytle leads Swarthmore on the court with averages of 14.9 points and 12.1 rebounds per game, and she also has a team high 70 steals to go with 68 assists and 30 blocked shots. Sophomore forward Elle Larsen is contributing 13.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest for the Garnet while leading the team with 37 blocked shots in addition to 33 assists and 21 steals.
Senior guard Madeline Ross is tossing in 11.4 points per outing, and she has contributed 96 rebounds, 54 assists and 28 steals this season while senior guard Eliza Polli leads Swarthmore with 69 three-pointers to go with 30 assists, 26 steals, 62 rebounds and an 8.1 point per contest scoring average. Freshman guard Jessica Jowdy is netting 5.8 points per game with 96 rebounds, 28 assists, 45 steals and 11 blocked shots while junior guard Kayla Moritzky has added 138 points, 87 rebounds, 43 steals and a team leading 79 assists for the Garnet.
Freshman forward Abbey Deckard has 61 points, 67 rebounds, 21 blocked shots, 16 steals and 11 assists on the season while junior guard Elizabeth Casey has added 47 points, 30 rebounds, 24 assists and eight steals this winter.
Washington & Jefferson is playing in the ECAC Tournament for the fifth time, and the first time since 2008 when the program won its second ECAC South title. The Presidents enter the weekend with an overall record of 21-8 overall record and were 13-5 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference.
Junior guard/forward Chelsea Apke leads the Presidents with averages of 15.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, and she has added a team high 64 steals to go with 58 assists and 17 blocked shots. Sophomore forward Valerie Dunlap is netting 13.0 points and grabbing 9.4 rebounds per outing, and she leads Washington & Jefferson with 80 blocked shots in addition to 36 assists and 21 steals.
Senior guard Emily Abraham leads the Presidents with 55 three-pointers to go with 9.5 points per outing, 77 rebounds, 40 assists and 27 steals while junior guard Kara Seamon leads Washington & Jefferson with 119 assists in addition to 68 rebounds, 32 steals, 23 three-pointers and a 6.8 point per game scoring average. Junior guard Alexa Burzese is contributing 5.1 points per contest with 50 rebounds, 56 assists and 27 three pointers while freshman guard/forward Beka Bellhy in netting 5.0 points per game to go along with 126 rebounds, 35 assists and nine steals.
Sophomore guard Alexa DelGreco has 83 points, 29 rebounds, 45 assists and 22 steals this season for the Presidents while sophomore guard Erin Lavery has added 51 points, 31 rebounds, 21 assists and 12 steals. Sophomore forward Tori Bishop has contributed 42 points and 55 rebounds for Washington & Jefferson.
Juniata enters the weekend with an overall record of 19-8. The Eagles were 9-5 in Landmark Conference action. Juniata is making its third ECAC Tournament appearance, and the Eagles won the title in 2009 and were the runner-up in 2010.
Junior forward Kate McDonald leads Juniata on the court with averaged of 14.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, and she has added team highs of 93 assists, 61 steals and 31 blocked shots. Senior guard Jordan Speck is netting 11.0 points per contest, and she leads the Eagles with 69 three-pointers to go with 108 rebounds, 55 assists, 35 steals and 12 blocked shots.
Sophomore guard Kelsey Livoti has an average of 9.0 points per outing to go along with 120 rebounds, 39 assists, 19 blocked shots and 18 steals while junior guard Jordan Hileman has added 8.7 points per game, 111 rebounds, 84 assists, 45 steals and 26 three-pointers. Freshman forward Natalie Hager is contributing 6.0 points per contest with 108 rebounds, 27 assists and 24 steals this winter for the Eagles.
Freshman guard Paige Dennison has an average of 5.4 points per outing with 47 rebounds, 23 assists and 15 steals while freshman guard Maria Photiades has added 4.5 points per game to go along with 43 rebounds, 49 assists and 39 steals. Sophomore forward Alix Sellers has 79 points, 59 rebounds, 17 steals and 12 assists for Juniata.