BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Moravian College sophomore Kayla Yoegel put back her own miss with 1.3 seconds left to lead the Greyhounds to a 60-58 Landmark Conference women's basketball victory in Johnston Hall Wednesday evening on National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
"That was a tremendous game and a huge win for us in the conference standings as we come towards the end of the regular season," commented Head Coach Mary Beth Spirk. "Drew is a very good team and gave us everything we could handle throughout the game. We needed everyone to step up and they did, especially Kayla getting those final rebounds and putting the last shot in. We need to keep our focus on the next game as we host Juniata Saturday. It is always a big game for us with the alumni back and raising money for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, an outstanding organization we are so pleased to help out every year."
The Hounds, now 12-8 overall and 5-4 in Landmark Conference play, had three players in double figures and all 60 points come from the starting five. Yoegel tossed in a career-best 20 points to go with four rebounds and four three-pointers while senior guard Maddie Capuano netted 15 points with six boards and two steals. Senior forward Nadine Ewald recorded her 13th double-double of the season and the 35th of her career with 13 points and 10 rebounds to go with three assists.
Senior guard Karlie Brogan and freshman guard Morgan Amy each had six points with Brogan adding seven rebounds, three steals and two assists and Amy adding five boards and four assists. Sophomore guard Alix Buskirk had a pair of rebounds while junior forward Jordan Beneducci dished out two assists.
Ewald began the contest with a three-pointer, and the Blue and Grey had a 9-2 lead after a jumper from Capuano 3:27 into action. Yoegel's first three-pointer of the night pushed the Greyhounds' edge to eight points at 16-8 before the Rangers closed the quarter with a 5-1 run to cut Moravian's lead to 17-13 after 10 minutes of action.
Drew continued its run into the second quarter and scored the first seven points to move in front 20-17. Capuano knotted the score with a three-pointer before a lay-up from Yoegel had the Hounds back on top. The Rangers retook the lead and had a four-point edge before a jumper and a three-pointer by Brogan had Moravian leading 31-30 with 1:49 until the intermission. Drew answered by scoring the final five points of the half and heading to the locker room with a 35-31 edge.
Ewald connected on another three-pointer to start the second half, and Yoegel followed with a trey as the Blue and Grey moved ahead 37-35. There were three more ties and three lead changes in the rest of the quarter with the Rangers holding a 45-44 edge on a last second shot to end the third period.
Yoegel drained a three-pointer to begin the final quarter, and Amy hit a jumper for a 49-45 edge with 7:48 remaining. Drew scored four straight points to tie the score before a jumper in the lane by Amy and another three-pointer from Yoegel had Moravian's lead back to five points, 54-49, with just over five minutes to play. Once again, the Rangers tied it at 54-54 before a Yoegel lay-up. The contest would be tied twice more including at 58-58 when the Hounds took possession with just over 31 seconds left when Brogan grabbed a rebound.
With just over five seconds to play and the shot clock winding down, Capuano drove down the left side of the lane but her lay-up bounced off of the rim. Yoegel attempted to put back the shot before grabbing a second rebound and draining a lay-up with 1.3 seconds to play that gave Moravian the lead. Drew would get off a shot in the lane after a timeout just before the buzzer but the shot rolled off the rim to end the contest.
The Greyhounds are slated to return to action on Saturday, February 8 when the squad hosts Juniata College in a Landmark Conference game beginning at 2:00 p.m. in Johnston Hall. Moravian will host its annual Alumni Game at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, and the Hounds will also host their annual Play4Kay game, donning pink uniforms and raising money for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
