BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College women's basketball team won its eighth Moravian Winter Classic title in 13 years by defeating Immaculata University 63-46 in the championship game on Saturday afternoon at Johnston Hall.
Senior guard Danielle Brogan notched her first career double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds before being named the Tournament MVP, while senior forward Ericka Blair scored a career-high 18 points as she was named to the All-Tournament Team. Senior forward Laura Jordan also joined her classmates on the All-Tournament Team after recording six points, six rebounds and five blocked shots in the title game.
"Last year, we fell short in a couple different ways," Jordan said. "We had a hot start, but didn't finish strong. We didn't win our Winter Classic. This title is important to us so we played with a chip on our shoulder, as we hope to continue to do until we reach the NCAA tournament."
The Greyhounds (10-2) had to overcome another slow start, making their first basket three minutes into the contest. The Mighty Macs, however, also struggled early, missing five of their first six shots.
Senior guard Alyssa Hann and Brogan both hit three-pointers for the first Moravian lead of the game five minutes in.
Moravian was fortunate not to trail early after going on a four-minute scoreless streak. O'Rourke broke the silence by hitting two free throws after a powerful drive to the hoop. Jordan followed that possession with a jumper for the 15-13 lead. A long Brogan jump shot and two made free throws from Blair made it a 8-0 run.
"We came out flat again, and these seniors got the team fired up," head coach Mary Beth Spirk said. "We had three seniors on the All-Tournament team and they were motivated to win, as well as motivate the rest of the team to win. That kind of leadership should help us reach another level this season."
With five minutes remaining in the half, Immaculata (7-3) kept the deficit at a minimum with back-to-back fast break layups, but Brogan responded with her second three-pointer of the game to maintain a 27-22 advantage. That trey got the senior co-captain in double-figures in scoring for the seventh time this season.
Blair completed a Greyhound first-half buzzer beater for the second day in a row by draining a three-pointer from the top of the arc and Moravian took a 35-26 lead into halftime.
Brogan kept the ball rolling in the second half with a trey on the opening possession. The senior sharpshooter followed that with some defense, getting the steal and finishing the play with two free throws after being fouled on the ensuing drive.
Senior point guard Katie O'Rourke capped a 7-0 run to start the second half with two more from the charity stripe for the 42-26 lead. The Greyhounds shot 84.6 percent from the free throw line in the championship after making 17-of-18 in the first round.
Blair's aggressive play under the Immaculata basket got a rise from the Johnston Hall crowd in the midst of a second-half scoring run. The senior forward jumped in front of an inbounds pass and immediately converted a layup for a 44-28 lead.
Sophomore swing Alesha Marcks and freshman forward Natalie Vanderlaan-Meyering made back-to-back layups for a 52-30 lead, the largest of the game for Moravian.
Immaculata went on a 7-0 run with five minutes left in the championship, but the Greyhounds responded with a Blair jumper and Brogan's fourth three-point field goal of the game.
Jordan and the Moravian defense came up with multiple stops down the stretch to set the final score at 63-46.
"It's all about help defense," Jordan said. "I love playing on defense with this team. Even if I'm not scoring in bunches, it's so much fun to stop a drive or block a shot when we're all working together."
The Greyhounds only allowed 16 points in the paint and six second-chance points by the Mighty Macs.
Junior forward Brittany Merkle of Immaculata was named to the All-Tournament Team after scoring a team-high 13 points (5-of-10 from the floor) in the championship game. Junior guard Sara Smith added nine points and junior swing Alison Zimny tossed in eight.
Moravian can celebrate the championship for two days before getting back to business on Tuesday, Jan. 7, when Ursinus College comes to Johnston Hall for a 7 p.m. contest.