GWYNEDD VALLEY, PA. -- The proverb all good things must come to an end applied tonight with Cabrini defeating Gwynedd-Mercy, 71-60, in the regular season finale snapping the Griffin win streak at 13 games.
With the loss the Griffins still remain the #1 seed for the upcoming CSAC Tournament and will host a semi-final contest Wednesday night at the Griffin Complex at 7 p.m.
Prior to the game, Gwynedd-Mercy honored its seniors: Brittany Neill and Bryn Cotteta. Both scored in double figures on the night with Cotteta finishing with 11 and dishing out five assists and Neill adding 10 with six rebounds.
Cabrini (12-13, 10-6) paced four players in double figures led by Brittany Sandone with a game-high 23. Colleen Stewart scored 12 and led the team with eight rebounds. Mary Kate McCann and Renee Deas added 11 and 10 respectfully. The team hit 9-of-17 from downtown.
The first half saw both team deadlocked at 15-15 with just over six minutes remaining in the half. Cabrini then used a 22-6 run to close out the half to take a 37-21 lead into the break.
Gwynedd (18-7, 14-2 CSAC) was able to cut the lead to six twice in the second half but Sandone answered both times on the other end of the floor. The Griffins cut the Cabrini lead to 59-53 with four minutes remaining in the half, and after a Cavalier time out, Sandone and Deas nailed consecutive three pointers to extend the lead back up to 12. Gwynedd was unable to chip away and Cabrini iced the game with free throws to close out the contest.
The Griffins struggled from the floor shooting 37.3 % (22-of-59) and were unable to knock down a three pointer on the game going 0-for-13. It was the first time GM did not record a trey since December 7th, 2006 in a win at Immaculata (0-26). Gwynedd did shoot 80% from the free throw line, hitting 16-of-20 attempts from the charity stripe.
Freshman Jess Rotella and Shea Wassel led the Griffins with double-digit performances. Rotella led the Griffins in scoring, netting 19 points and pulling down eight rebounds. Wassel contributed a double-double with 16 points and 11 caroms.
The Griffins now await their semi-final opponent for a 7 p.m. tip-off Wednesday night; they will face the lowest remaining seed.