Senior Kayla Yoegel with her family and Head Coach Mary Beth Spirk during the Greyhounds' Senior Day festivities. Photo by Mairi West '23
Senior Kayla Yoegel with her family and Head Coach Mary Beth Spirk during the Greyhounds' Senior Day festivities. Photo by Mairi West '23
February 19, 2022

Greyhounds Use Big Second Quarter to Rout Juniata On Play4Kay & Senior Day to End 2021-22 Season

BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University women’s basketball squad outscored visiting Juniata College, 25-9, in the second quarter on the way to a 77-46 Landmark Conference win in Johnston Hall to close out the 2021-22 regular season Saturday afternoon as the Greyhounds played their annual Play4Kay contest in pink uniforms to raise money for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and also hosted Senior Day.

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BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University women's basketball squad outscored visiting Juniata College, 25-9, in the second quarter on the way to a 77-46 Landmark Conference win in Johnston Hall to close out the 2021-22 regular season Saturday afternoon as the Greyhounds played their annual Play4Kay contest in pink uniforms to raise money for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and also hosted Senior Day.

Despite the victory and remaining in a tie for fourth in the Landmark Conference standings, the Greyhounds will miss the postseason for the first time since 2002. The Hounds and Drew University both had 7-7 Landmark Conference records and ended up on the fifth tiebreaker – common non-conference opponents with the Rangers defeating King's College, 70-52, at home November 27 and Moravian falling to the Monarchs in Wilkes-Barre, 84-76, on December 28. This is just the second time the Blue and Grey have missed the Landmark Conference Tournament in the 15 years the conference has existed, and in the year that Moravian did not play in the Landmark Semifinals in 2014-15, the squad did advance to the ECAC Division III South Semifinals. 

How It Happened

  • The Eagles scored the first four points before senior forward Kayla Yoegel netted two baskets to knot the score at 4-4. Yoegel gave the Hounds their first lead of the afternoon at 7-6 with a free throw at the 6:02 mark; however, Juniata scored four straight points for a 10-7 lead. The Eagles had a 14-12 edge with 2:36 until the intermission before a lay-up and two free throws by sophomore forward Sam Osorio had Moravian in the lead for good at 16-14. Junior guard Ashley Robinson hit two free throws for a 19-15 advantage and the Blue and Grey had a 19-17 lead after 10 minutes of action
  • Junior forward Emily Markowski connected on a three-point play to begin the second quarter, and she added two more free throws to make Moravian's edge move up to seven points at 24-17. Junior guard Morgan Amy pushed the advantage into double digits with a four-point play at the 7:07 mark, and the Greyhounds would go onto lead by 18 points, 44-26, at the intermission with a 7-0 run to end the half
  • Moravian tossed in another 21 points in the third quarter with the lead reaching as many as 28 points, 63-35, on a lay-up by Robinson, and the Blue and Grey had a 65-37 advantage after 30 minutes of action on a late third quarter jumper by sophomore forward Gracie Hezel
  • The Hounds' largest lead of the afternoon, 35 points, came with 1:44 to play when sophomore guard Rileigh Serroni connected on a lay-up for a 77-42 lead and Moravian's final points of the contest

Inside the Numbers

  • The Greyhounds had a balanced scoring attack with four players in double figures led by Markowski, who tossed in a career high 15 points to go with three rebounds and a pair of steals. Yoegel had 14 points in her final career contest to go with three rebounds and three assists while Amy also netted 14 points with five assists and three boards. Osorio finished with 12 points, six rebounds and a pair of steals
  • Yoegel finishes her career with 695 points, 319 rebounds, 75 blocked shots, 66 assists, 61 steals and 50 three-pointers in 78 games including 61 starts
  • Robinson tied her career high with nine points, and she grabbed a pair of rebounds while freshman forward Brielle Guarente contributed four points, six boards and two steals
  • Hezel had four points and two rebounds while junior guard Madison Amy added three points, three rebounds and a pair of assists, Serroni had two points while freshman guard Mikayla Anderson had a career high four rebounds to go with two assists
  • Sophomore forward Sara Geary and freshman guard Sydney DeFranco both had a pair of rebounds with DeFranco also making two steals
  • Moravian had a 39-37 edge in rebounds, and the Greyhounds forced the Eagles into 28 turnovers in the contest
  • The Hounds shot 50% from the floor, going 30-for-60 on the afternoon 
Head Coach Mary Beth Spirk discusses their victory over Juniata on Senior Day and Play4Kay.

Up Next for the Greyhounds

  • Season Complete