HUNTINGDON, Pa. --- Senior forward Camille McPherson and freshman center Nadine Ewald combined for 48 points and 25 rebounds to lead the Moravian College women's basketball team to a 76-70 win at Juniata College in Landmark Conference action Saturday.
The Greyhounds, who have already locked up a berth in the 2017 Landmark Conference Tournament, their 16th straight postseason appearance, won their seventh straight contest to improve to 18-5 overall and 10-2 in Landmark Conference play as Moravian remained in second place in the conference standings after playing its final road game of the regular season.
McPherson netted a game-high 26 points to go with nine rebounds and six assists, and McPherson now has 552 points this winter, the fifth best single season in school history. Ewald posted her third double-double of the season with career highs of 22 points and 16 rebounds. Ewald has 12 points in opening quarter and 18 at halftime while McPherson scored 23 of her points in the second half including 13 in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
Senior guard Morgan Calabrese tossed in eight points to go with two rebounds while freshman guard Maddie Capuano added seven points, seven boards and two steals. Freshman guard Karlie Brogan contributed six points, three rebounds and a pair of assists while sophomore forward Ariana Caiati had four points and three boards. Junior guard Trista Cunningham added three points and a pair of rebounds.
Ewald opened the scoring with a lay-up on the first possession of the game, and she scored again a minute later as Moravian moved back ahead, 4-2. With the Blue and Grey up just a point, 6-5, Brogan hit on a lay-up that started a 13-0 run by the Greyhounds as Ewald pushed the lead to 19-5 with 4:08 left in the first period. A late three-pointer by the Eagles cut the Hounds' edge to 26-18 after 10 minutes of action.
Capuano made a free throw to give the Greyhounds a nine-point lead, 29-20, just over two minutes into the second quarter, and Moravian was up 32-26 after a free throw by McPherson at the 4:42 mark. Juniata scored the next seven points to move ahead 33-32 with 3:22 before the intermission but the Greyhounds' defense would not allow the Eagles to score again in the period. Ewald hit two free throws and a lay-up, and Cunningham tossed in a free throw to send Moravian to the locker room with a 37-33 lead.
The Eagles netted the first four points of the second half to tie the score at 37-37 before a basket by McPherson and a three-pointer from Capuano put the Hounds back up 42-37. Juniata rallied back and took a 50-49 lead on a three-point play with 1:22 left in the third quarter. McPherson hit a lay-up to put Moravian back in front, and she drained a late free throw to give the Blue and Grey a 54-53 lead after 30 minutes of play.
Juniata connected the opening basket of the fourth quarter to move ahead by a point but McPherson's jumper at 9:28 put Moravian in the lead for good. McPherson then hit three foul shots and two lay-ups as the Greyhounds pushed the lead to 63-56 with 6:21 to play, and a three-pointer by Calabrese had the Hounds up 70-61 with 3:59 remaining. Juniata would get within two points late in the quarter before McPherson and Brogan each hit two free throws in the final 10 seconds to seal the win.
The free throw line was key for Moravian on Saturday as the squad was 28-of-36 (77.8 percent) for the game and 17-of-19 in the second half while Juniata was just 7-for-13. McPherson and Ewald combined to go 20-for-24 at the charity stripe. The Hounds also had a 49-39 edge on the glass.
The Greyhounds are scheduled to return to action on Wednesday, February 15 in a Landmark Conference game versus Drew University with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m. in Johnston Hall.