BOX SCORE

Reading, PA (Jan. 18, 2006) – Alvernia College held Cabrini College to just six points in the final 11:10 of play and freshman Allee Barnes (Blooming Glen, PA/Pennridge) scored a team-high 13 points off the bench as Alvernia claimed a 62-40 win Wednesday evening in Pennsylvania Athletic Conference women’s basketball action at the Physical Education Center.

            The Cavaliers (6-9, 5-2 PAC) scored on a free throw to cut the gap to 41-34 at the 11:10 mark of the second half, but the Crusaders (5-9, 4-3) forced four turnovers and the 11 Cavalier misses to pull away down the stretch.

            Junior forward Erin Knarr (Sinking Spring, PA/Wilson) scored 12 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds for the Crusaders and junior Lauren Fortna (Lebanon, PA/Lebanon Catholic) scored 10 points in a reserve roll.  Cabrini got a game-high 16 points from freshman forward Rachel Caron (Warrington, PA/Bishop McDevitt).

            The game featured three ties in the opening five minutes before a layup from freshman Tenay Gaddy (LePlata, MD/McDonough) gave Alvernia a lead it never relinquished.  The early lead grew to four points as Gaddy converted back-to-back buckets, and Caron trimmed the lead down to one with a bucket and a pair of free throws.

            Knarr answered with a jumper that sparked seven straight for the Crusaders giving the hosts an 18-10 lead with 9:11 left in the opening half.  Cabrini cut that lead to five on a 3-point play, but Alvernia came back with another string of eight unanswered to push the first half lead to 13 points, 28-15.

            Alvernia sophomore Ashley Shrawder (Dalmatia, PA/Line Mountain) scored the final points of the half on a 3-pointer with 1:14 to go that gave the Crusaders a 31-20 halftime lead.  Both teams managed the same exact output in the second half to reach the 22-point final.

            Caron opened the second half with a layup, but Alvernia quickly reestablished the 13-point cushion with a layup from Knarr and a jumper from junior guard Kerry Higgs (Westminster, MD/Westminster).  Cabrini cut the lead to eight points on two occasions and eventually down to seven points on a Brittany McLeod (Fairless Hills, PA/Conwell-Egan) at the 11:10 mark, but Alvernia finished with a 21-6 run to close the scoring.

            Alvernia will continued the PAC schedule with a visit to Rosemont College on Saturday.

Alvernia 62, Cabrini 40