BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University women's basketball squad is set to host the 20th Steel Club Classic in Johnston Hall on Friday and Saturday, December 29-30.
The tournament was held for 13 consecutive years before taking two years off after a change in the Landmark Conference schedule. The tournament resumed in December 2016 but was cancelled in 2021 due to the pandemic. The tournament was also held twice in the calendar year of 2022 in both January and last December.
The host Greyhounds are 32-6 all-time in the Steel Club Classic with 11 tournament titles. Neumann University is making its third appearance in the tournament while the other two squads - Capital (Ohio) University and Salisbury (Md.) University - are both making their tournament debuts. The Hounds and the Knights will open the tournament on Friday at noon while the Comets and the Sea Gulls tip-off at 2:00 p.m. The consolation game is set for 11:00 a.m. on Saturday followed by the championship contest at 1:00 p.m.
Moravian heads into the tournament with a record of 2-7 and a 2-2 slate in Landmark Conference action. Greyhounds' Head Coach Mary Beth Spirk is in her 37th season with the Greyhounds and is bringing a career record of 642-334.
The Greyhounds are being led by senior forward Sam Osorio, who is averaging 13.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game to go along with 17 steals, 11 assists and eight blocked shots. Junior forward Brielle Guarente is contributing 10.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per contest to go with 18 assists, 16 steals and six blocked shots while freshman center Grace Steffen has averages of 8.4 points and 7.5 boards per outing to go with nine steals, six assists and six blocked shots.
Freshman guard/forward Lizzie Lustig is tossing in 6.3 points per game in her debut season to go with 3.1 rebounds per contest, 12 assists, six steals and five three-pointers while sophomore guard Juliana Vassallo is netting 5.7 points per outing to go along with 22 rebounds, ten steals, nine three-pointers and four assists. Sophomore guard Jayda Cartagena is scoring 5.2 points per game with 19 rebounds, 11 steals, nine assists and five three-pointers while junior guard Mikayla Anderson has recorded 35 rebounds, 22 points, 12 assists, 11 steals and six blocked shots.
Senior guard Reganne Flannery has registered a team-high 26 assists, 17 points, 17 rebounds, ten steals and four blocked shots while freshman center Lanie Herbert has added 16 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and a pair of blocked shots in her debut season. Freshman guard Emma Altmire has 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocked shots and a pair of three pointers while freshman guard Yarian Fernandez has added four points, two rebounds and a pair of steals. Freshman forward Natalie Osorio has four rebounds and two steals while freshman guard Olivia Fanning has one points and freshman forward Bellisima Lew has grabbed a pair of boards.
Capital University from Columbus, Ohio comes to Bethlehem with a 5-4 record. The Comets compete in the Ohio Athletic Conference and are 2-2 in conference action this season. Capital is headed by Camille McPherson, who is in her second season. McPherson earned her bachelor's degree from Moravian in 2017 and her master's degree in 2019, and she scored 1,427 points for the Greyhounds, ninth in program history, in three seasons playing in Johnston Hall. McPherson was the MVP of this tournament in both 2016 and 2017.
Junior guard Laney Murphy leads the Comets in scoring at 14.7 points per game to go along with 28 rebounds, 28 three-pointers, 11 steals and eight assists. Junior guard Bri O'Connor is contributing 14.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest to go with 38 assists, 30 steals, seven three-pointers and six blocked shots while sophomore forward Samaree Perkins leads Capital on the boards at 9.9 rebounds per outing to go with 10.7 points per game, 13 assists and seven steals.
Graduate student guard Demi Brewer is registering 8.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest with 22 assists, 14 steals, six three-pointers and three blocked shots while sophomore guard Jenna Horsley is contributing 6.8 points per outing to go with 18 three-pointers, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists. Junior forward Maddi Weiland is recording 5.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game with 11 steals, seven assists, seven three-pointers and four blocked shots.
Senior Katie Burke has added 21 points, 11 rebounds and three steals while freshman guard Kendall Spreen has 14 points and four three-pointers this season. Freshman forward Tahirah Ellis has contributed 12 rebounds, seven blocked shots and six points while junior guard Aly Ray has five points.
Neumann University, located in Aston, Pennsylvania and enters the tournament with a 9-3 record. The Knights play in the Atlantic East Conference and have yet to start conference action. Neumann is headed by Mary Beth McNichol, who is in her sixth season.
Junior forward Lauren Klieber leads the Knights with averages of 22.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per game to go along with 30 three-pointers, 21 steals, 15 assists and 12 blocked shots. Junior forward Emily DuPont is contributing 12.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest to go with 33 assists, 16 steals, six three-pointers and six blocked shots while junior guard Aubrie Breisblatt is adding 8.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per outing to go along with 19 assists, seven steals and five blocked shots.
Fifth year senior forward Terea Tourk is registering 7.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game to go along with 39 assists, 18 steals and 18 blocked shots while senior guard Jacqueline Wardrop is recording 5.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest with 26 assists, 11 steals and five three-pointers. Sophomore guard Lindsay Holden has 27 points, 25 assists, 15 rebounds, six steals and four three-pointers while senior center Hannah Asaka and junior guard Olivia Pagliuso both had scored 11 points with Asaka adding 20 rebounds and five blocked shots and Pagliuso contributing four boards and three assists.
Salisbury University from Salisbury, Maryland and comes to Bethlehem with 6-7 record, and the Sea Gulls have had the shortest break, last competing on December 20. The Sea Gulls compete in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference and have not played a conference game yet this winter. Salisbury is led by Aprile Preller, who is in her first season at her alma mater.
Junior guard/forward Alex Bull leads the Sea Gulls in scoring with an average of 12.1 points per game to go along with 4.0 rebounds per outing, 30 steals, 23 assists and 13 three-pointers. Freshman guard Nicole Miller is netting 11.5 points per contest to go with 34 rebounds, 18 three-pointers, 16 assists and 14 steals while freshman guard Abby Plaugher has averages of 9.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per outing with 21 three-pointers, 13 assists and 10 steals.
Freshman forward Cora Shafer is averaging 7.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest with 19 assists, 16 blocked shots and nine steals while sophomore forward Kayla Nieberlein is registering 6.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per outing with 16 assists and seven steals. Senior forward Hailey Ader is recording 5.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game to go along with 11 assists, seven blocked shots and five steals while junior guard Tori Rumbaugh is scoring 5.6 points per contest to go with 40 rebounds, 37 assists, 15 steals and 11 three-pointers.
Senior forward Sym Deloatch has contributed 37 points, 22 rebounds, six blocked shots and four assists while freshman guard/forward Jen Juhring has 32 boards, 25 points, ten steals and eight assists. Freshman guard Tatiana Virata has added 17 points, 17 assists, 11 rebounds and four steals.
