BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College women's basketball team watched a three-point attempt – which would have completed a 14-point comeback – rim out as Juniata College survived for a 56-53 Landmark Conference victory on Saturday afternoon in the 2014 Play 4Kay Game.
The Greyhounds (17-4, 8-2 Landmark) wore pink jerseys as part of their Play 4Kay initiative to raise funds and awareness for women's cancer research. Moravian falls to 4-3 wearing the pink jerseys, with two of the losses coming at the hands of Juniata.
Sophomore swing Alesha Marcks scored a team-high 11 points, while adding four boards, two blocks and a steal in the Saturday setback. Senior Katie O'Rourke and Ericka Blair each netted nine, while classmate Laura Jordan added seven points and five blocked shots.
Sophomore guard Marie Rossignoli scored a career-high seven points, including a three-pointer and 2-of-2 mark from the free throw line.
"We never got in sync offensively or defensively," said head coach Mary Beth Spirk. "We had our moments, but we also broke down at times with turnovers and missing easy shots. Juniata stuck with it and made some shots when they had to."
Juniata (10-11, 3-7 Landmark) had the advantage early, using a 14-2 run to get out to an 18-8 lead at the midway point of the first half. Moravian's first bucket did not come until the 2:45 mark, when O'Rourke knocked down a jump shot.
The shot caused an already raucous Johnston Hall crown to erupt. All fans in attendance were asked to remain standing and to hold up a pink 'Assist With the Fight' sign until the Greyhounds' first basket as part of Moravian's Play 4Kay initiative.
"Think about the survivors that came out there and all these people that came out to support a great cause," Spirk said. "No one left and it was very loud in that gym. It was a great atmosphere, and while it would have been great to win the game, I was very proud that we almost came back on a day where things weren't going our way."
The Eagles would lead by as many as 13 points with 5:22 to play in the first half, but Rossignoli helped cut into the Juniata lead. Rossignoli made two fouls shots and came up with a diving save of a loose ball to help Moravian keep possession and inch closer on the scoreboard. The sophomore would add a jumper to bring the deficit to 30-19.
"She played her heart out," Spirk said of Rossignoli. "That's what kind of effort we need to win day in and day out. I told this to the team; if every single player would have played with the energy that Marie had today, it could have been a different game. Everyone tried hard, but we had to do things a little differently to make the difference."
Juniata used a 44.1 percent shooting percentage in the first half, coupled with a 24-14 rebounding advantage to take a 34-27 lead into halftime. Marcks helped swing the momentum heading into the locker room with a buzzer-beating layup.
The Eagles scored the first seven points of the second half and by contrast, Moravian failed to make a basket for the opening 4:40 of the final period. Marcks broke the silence with a layup, but the Eagles held on to a 41-29 lead.
Two Marcks free throws and the three-pointer from Rossignoli contributed to a 5-0 run to get the Greyhounds closer to Juniata than they were since the opening minutes of the contest. Juniata led 49-45 with six minutes left, watching its lead dwindle as it went scoreless for more than two minutes.
Marcks and O'Rourke then went back-to-back on buckets as the Hounds trailed by one, 50-49 with 4:35 remaining.
With crunch-time pressure in full effect, freshman Morgan Calabrese again brought Moravian within two with a three-point field goal with only two minutes showing on the clock. Juniata would stretch the lead to 56-52 after two free throws with 50 seconds to play.
After a second-chance opportunity thanks to a Calabrese offensive rebound, Marcks hit one-of-two free throws to set the score at 56-53 in Juniata's favor.
With the last chance to tie, a Calabrese three-point attempt banged off the rim and fell into the hands of the Eagles, who ran out the last few seconds of game time.
Juniata's leading scorer, senior Kate McDonald, resumed that role in Saturday's game. She scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for her 14th double-double of the season, which ranks 11th in NCAA Division III.
"We wanted to double her," Spirk said. "We started the game without the double team, so we called a timeout to fix that. It contributed to them getting out to a nice lead. Give them credit; they came in here very focused and proved they are a much better team than their record indicates."
The Greyhounds finished the contest shooting just 35.3 percent from the floor, but countered with a solid .778 mark from the charity stripe. Juniata was dominant down low, winning the battles in the paint 28-16 and the rebounding margin 40-32.
Moravian continues Landmark Conference play – now with only four games remaining – on Wednesday, Feb. 12 with a trip to The United States Merchant Marine Academy at 7 p.m.
