TOWSON, Md. --- The Moravian University women's basketball team has earned the sixth seed in the 2024 Landmark Conference Tournament and will travel to third seed Elizabethtown College for a first round contest on Tuesday, February 20 at 7:00 p.m.
Tickets are $7 for adults and $4 for children. All youth under the age of 10 are admitted free as are all students, faculty and staff with a valid ID from any of the ten Landmark Conference institutions. College students without a Landmark school ID and seniors are $4. Tickets can be purchased at https://landmarkconference.org/sports/2022/4/25/championships-tickets.aspx?path=champs.
The Greyhounds are 8-17 overall this winter and finished the Landmark regular season with a 7-11 mark while the Blue Jays are 18-7 overall and were 14-4 in Landmark action. During the regular season, the Blue Jays swept the season series, winning 76-46 in Johnston Hall on January 12 and 84-46 in Elizabethtown on February 3.
With the addition of Lycoming College and Wilkes University to the Landmark Conference in 2023-24, all postseason tournaments have expanded to six teams with the top two seeds earning first round byes. The winner of the Moravian/Elizabethtown contest will travel to second seed The University of Scranton for a semifinal match on Thursday, February 22. Tuesday's other first round contest has fifth seed Drew University heading to fourth seed Susquehanna University at 7:30 p.m., and the winner of that match will head to top seed The Catholic University of America for the other semifinal contest on February 22. The 2024 Landmark Conference Championships contest is set for Saturday, February 24 at the highest remaining seed for the conference title and a berth to the 2024 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.
Moravian Head Coach Mary Beth Spirk has the Hounds returning to the postseason for the second straight winter, and for the 33rd time in her 37 seasons leading the Greyhounds' program. The Blue & Grey are making their 15th Landmark Conference Tournament appearance. Spirk has a career record of 648-344 and is looking to lead the Greyhounds to their fourth conference title that would go with a Landmark Championship in 2010 and Middle Atlantic Conference titles in 1991 and 1992. Spirk has led Moravian to the NCAA Division III Tournament nine times in her tenure including the NCAA Division III National Championship game in 1992 and a first round win at the University of New England in 2016, the program's last NCAA tournament appearance.
Senior forward Sam Osorio leads the Greyhounds with averages of 11.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game this winter to go along with a team-high 36 blocked shots, 38 steals and 20 assists. Junior forward Brielle Guarente is netting 10.8 points per contest to go with 4.3 rebounds per outing, 52 assists, 49 steals and 17 blocked shots while freshman center Grace Steffen is contributing 7.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game with 24 steals, 19 blocked shots and 13 assists in her debut season.
Freshman guard/forward Lizzie Lustig is tossing in 7.1 points per contest with 88 rebounds, 27 assists, 19 steals, 18 three-pointers and nine blocked shots while sophomore guard Jayda Cartagena is posting 6.1 points per outing to go along with 48 rebounds, 29 assists, 25 steals and ten three-pointers. Sophomore guard Juliana Vassallo is tossing in 5.6 points per contest with a team-high 30 three-pointers, 58 rebounds, 19 steals, ten assists and four blocked shots while senior guard Reganne Flannery has added 51 points, 54 rebounds, a team-leading 76 assists, 22 steals, six three-pointers and five blocked shots.
Junior guard Mikayla Anderson has registered 67 rebounds, 32 points, 26 assists, 24 steals and 18 blocked shots while freshman guard Emma Altmire has 23 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, five steals and five three-pointers. Freshman center Lanie Herbert has contributed 22 points, 23 boards and seven assists while freshman guard Yarian Fernandez has added 11 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals.
Freshman forward Bellisima Lew has eight points, eight rebounds and three assists in her debut season while freshman guard N'dera Francis has four points and three boards. Freshman guard/forward Natalie Osorio has contributed six rebounds and four steals while freshman forward Olivia Fanning has one point and freshman guard Khadije Fahie has seen action in four games.
