Moravian Rallies After Juniata Comeback to Earn 68-64 Win in ECAC DIII South Semifinals
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The top seed and host Moravian College women’s basketball team saw a 12-point halftime lead disappear into a five-point deficit before the Greyhounds rallied and posted a 68-64 victory over fourth seed Juniata College in the second ECAC Division III South Tournament Semifinal in Johnston Hall Saturday.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
28 | 36 | 64 |
|
|
40 | 28 | 68 |
Team Stats
Juniata College
| Game Statistics | Juniata College | Moravian University |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (21-70) | (27-67) |
| Field Goal % | 30.0% | 40.3% |
| Rebounds | 50 | 45 |
| Assists | 17 | 14 |
| Turnovers | 23 | 19 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 16 | 21 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 18 | 8 |
| Pts in the Paint | 16 | 36 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 4 | 10 |
| Bench Pts | 21 | 16 |
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The top seed and host Moravian College women's basketball team saw a 12-point halftime lead disappear into a five-point deficit before the Greyhounds rallied and posted a 68-64 victory over fourth seed Juniata College in the second ECAC Division III South Tournament Semifinal in Johnston Hall Saturday.
Moravian, now 22-6 on the season, will face second seed Swarthmore College in the championship game on Sunday, March 3rd at 1:00 p.m. in Johnston Hall. The Garnet, 22-7 this winter, posted a 78-63 victory over third seed Washington & Jefferson College in the first semifinal game on Saturday.
The Greyhounds opened the scoring versus the Eagles with a three-pointer from junior guard Katie O'Rourke at the 18:37 mark, and Moravian would build a 7-0 lead after a lay-up by sophomore forward Alexis Wright at 16:17. Juniata finally scored its first points on a three-pointer from junior guard Jordan Hileman at 15:42 to cut Moravian's lead to 7-3.
The Eagles, who finish the season at 19-9, tied the game at 9-9 on a three-pointer from freshman guard Maria Photiades with 13:06 left in the first half, and Juniata moved ahead 11-10 on two free throws from Hileman 40 seconds later. Junior guard Danielle Brogan hit a three-pointer to put Moravian back in front but a three-pointer by Hileman tied the game at 15-15 with 11:25 before the intermission.
The Greyhounds would go on an 8-0 run with three baskets from Wright to build a 23-15 lead at the 8:59 mark. Hileman made a three-pointer at 6:43 to pull Juniata within four points at 25-21, but Moravian answered with five straight points to take a 30-21 lead on a fast break lay-up by freshman guard Emily MacDonnell with 4:40 before the intermission. Moravian's lead hit double figures, 34-23, on a jumper from freshman forward Alesha Marcks at 2:42.
Moravian scored the final four points of the first half including a steal and lay-up by O'Rourke sent the Greyhounds to the locker room with a 40-28 lead.
Moravian had the hotter shooting touch in the first 20 minutes of the game as the Greyhounds made 17-of-36 (47.2 percent) field goal attempts, two-of-four three-pointers and four-of-nine free throws. Moravian had six turnovers in the first half while forcing Juniata into 11 turnovers. The Eagles, who had a 26-23 edge in rebounds, were just eight-for-34 (23.5 percent) from the floor, six-for-14 on three-pointer and six-for-10 at the foul line in the opening 20 minutes of action.
Juniata came out of the locker room and scored the first five points of the back on a lay-up from Hileman and a three-pointer by senior guard Jordan Speck. O'Rourke made a pair of free throws for Moravian's first points of the second half to put the Greyhounds ahead, 42-33. The Eagles chipped away at Moravian's lead, pulling within two points, 48-46, on a lay-up by junior forward Kate McDonald with 13:25 to play.
Wright hit back-to-back baskets as Moravian led 52-49 with 12:29 remaining. Juniata then scored eight straight points to take a 57-52 lead after a pair of free throws from freshman guard Karli McFatridge with 8:58 remaining. Marcks hit a jumper for the Greyhounds to stop the Juniata run, and a basket by Wright pulled Moravian within a point, 57-56, with 7:33 to go.
After Speck made a jumper, O'Rourke hit a lay-up for the Greyhounds before Moravian pulled back in front for good, 61-59, on a three-pointer by junior guard Alyssa Hann at the 5:22 mark. Hann's three-pointer was part of a 10-0 Moravian run that turned the three-point deficit into a seven-point lead, 66-69, after a lay-up by Wright with 2:43 to play. Juniata pulled within two points, 66-64, on a lay-up by McFatridge with 1:14 remaining but Wright iced the game with two free throws with just 20.6 seconds on the clock.
Moravian's shooting cooled off in the second half as the Greyhounds made ten-of-31 (32.3 percent) field goal attempts, one-of-two three-pointers and seven-of-nine free throws in the final 20 minutes of the game. Moravian had 19 turnovers in the contest while Juniata turned the ball over 23 times. The Eagles had a 50-45 edge in rebounds for the game, and Juniata's shooting improved in the second half as the Eagles made 13-of-36 field goal attempts (36.1 percent), six-of-14 three-pointers and four-of-six free throws.
Wright led the Greyhounds with her 15th double-double of the season as she posted games highs of 22 points and 14 rebounds to go with three blocked shots. O'Rourke added 15 points, seven assists, six boards and three steals for Moravian while senior guard Amanda Kreuder had nine points. Marcks added eight points, five rebounds and three blocked shots while Hann finished with four points. Junior forward Laura Jordan had four rebounds and three points for the Greyhounds.
Hileman paced Juniata with 21 points, and she added four rebounds. Speck tossed in 14 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists while freshman forward Natalie Hager added 11 points and eight rebounds. McDonald led the Eagles with 11 rebounds to go with five assists and three blocked shots, but McDonald was limited to just three points, 11.5 under her season average. Sophomore guard Kelsey Livoti added five points, six rebounds, five blocked shots, three assists and three steals while Photiades finished with six points for Juniata.
