Hounds Fall to Catholic, Look Ahead to Landmark Tourney
February 22, 2014

Hounds Fall to Catholic, Look Ahead to Landmark Tourney

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College women’s basketball team concluded the 2013-14 regular season with a 76-64 loss to The University of Catholic on Saturday in Johnston Hall with big implications in Landmark Conference Tournament seeding.

Box Score

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College women's basketball team concluded the 2013-14 regular season with a 76-64 loss to The University of Catholic on Saturday in Johnston Hall with big implications in Landmark Conference Tournament seeding.

The game was to decide home-court advantage in the upcoming Landmark Conference Tournament. The Greyhounds and Cardinals were locked into the No. 2 and No. 3 slots, the only question that remained was where 2 vs. 3 matchup would be played. Catholic had the answer by out-rebounding the Hounds 55-34 and playing well with the lead throughout the second half on Saturday.

Two Moravian departing players celebrated Senior Day with some impressive stat lines. Co-captains and guards Katie O'Rourke (14 points) and Danielle Brogan (13 points, four rebounds, three steals) led the Greyhounds on Saturday.

Another veteran, forward Laura Jordan, added five blocks and eight rebounds. The senior boosted her blocks per game average to 3.67, which ranks in the top five in NCAA Division III. The Greyhounds conclude the regular season leading the nation in blocked shots at 8.96 per game.

The Moravian women set a new school record for blocked shots in a single season at 224, passing the previous mark of 216 set during the 2011-12 season.

The Greyhounds (19-6, 10-4 Landmark) set another record on Saturday, one that helped them get out to a 6-0 lead. Brogan and senior guard Alyssa Hann got the Hounds on the board by each hitting a three pointer. Moravian made 13 treys in the loss, the most ever in a single game. They shot 43.3 percent from the beyond the arc, and their 30 attempts were the second most since the 1999-2000 season.

Moravian's first 18 points came by way of the three-pointer. Its first two-point field goal came 13:21 into the game when Brogan grabbed an offensive rebound and scored the put back in the paint. Meanwhile, Catholic was taking a lead.

The Cardinals (19-5, 12-2 Landmark) used a 6-0 run to take a 24-15 lead with 7:33 to play in the opening half. The advantage would stretch to double-digits two minutes later and Catholic held it to take a 34-26 lead into halftime as Moravian shot just 26.5 percent from the floor in the first half.

Catholic methodically built the lead to 54-34, its largest of the game, midway through the second half. The Greyhound's departing players had one more run in them on Senior Day.

O'Rourke started and ended an 8-0 run with a jumper and two free throws as the Hounds cut the Catholic lead to 60-50. However, the Cardinals responded with a 9-0 run of their own for the comfortable cushion down the stretch.

Catholic was led by sophomore forward Josephine Miglash, who notched a double-double with 23 points and 15 boards. Senior guard Emily Grabiak also recorded a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

The Landmark Conference semifinals at Catholic are set for Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. It will be the third meeting of the Greyhounds and Cardinals this season, with Catholic getting the regular season sweep after an 82-77 win in overtime on Jan. 18.

With just one guaranteed game remaining, O'Rourke will be on milestone watch during the semifinal game. The senior has 981 career points, needing 19 more to become the 23rd member of women's basketball 1,000-Point Club. With 19 points and two steals, she will become the first Moravian player to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists and 200 steals.