GWYNEDD VALLEY, PA. -- Gwynedd held off Alvernia with a final score of 75-64 Saturday afternoon at The Griffin Complex. Shannon Carroll led the Griffins with 21 points and 11 rebounds, both career highs.  Denise Sacco added 11 points and Emma Keal contributed 10 as GMercyU took a big lead into the final quarter and fought off the Golden Wolves to pick up the win.

Gabriella De Vito led Alvernia with a game-high 26 points. Tori Zerbe had 10 rebounds, nine points and five assists. 

The Griffins came out hot with Olivia Roseman and Sacco scoring back-to-back threes to help the Griffins run out to an 8-0 lead in the first.  De Vito scored nine points in the frame, helping Alvernia climb within one. Sacco drained her second three of the frame for a 15-11 edge. The teams exchanged baskets to bring the score to 17-15 at the end of the quarter.

The Golden Wolves took their first lead early in the second quarter, but a Chyanne Fine bucket in the paint started an 11-0 Griffin run to help the squad construct 15-point halftime advantage. Carroll started to heat up in the second as well, netting 10 points. She would hit three baskets in a row on consecutive possession to give the Griffins a double-digit lead. The scoring barrage brought the score 41-26 at the half. 

The Griffins opened up the scoring in the second half on a 9-0 spurt to take their largest lead of the contest (50-24) at the 6:18 mark. Emma Keal's quick hands to get a shot off before the buzzer upped the score to 57-37 heading into the final frame. 

The Wolves put together some scoring of their own in the fourth, converting on jumpers and buckets in the lane to whittle the Gwynedd lead. Back-to-back three's from Zerbe and De Vito cut the lead to 66-59 with 2:28 on the clock. De Vito hit again from downtown to make it a 70-64 contest with just over a minute to play. Gwynedd was able to close it out by not allowing another Alvernia point. With a layup from Bossler and three-of-four at the free-throw line from Carroll, the Griffins cemented the 75-64 win for their fourth-straight victory over Alvernia.

Fine ended the day with eight points, four boards and a pair of assists. For Keal, the 10 points were a season-high while Susan Bossler kicked in nine points, five rebounds and a personal-best six assists. The team turned 20 Alvernia turnovers into 21 points and hit 17-of-21 at the free-throw line.

The Griffins will be back in action this Tuesday at home in their final game before the holiday break against the University of Scranton at 6 p.m.