Glenside, PA (Jan. 23, 2006) – Junior guard Lauren Fortna (Lebanon, PA/Lebanon Catholic) scored 10 of her game-high 18 points after halftime as Alvernia College survived a second half run in a 69-49 win over Arcadia University Monday evening in Pennsylvania Athletic Conference women’s basketball action at Arcadia. The Crusaders (7-9, 6-3 PAC) have held three of their last seven opponents under 50 points.
Fortna scored three straight near the end of Alvernia’s first-half run that turned an early 7-4 deficit into an 18-7 lead, and after an exchange of hoops, the Crusaders held the double-digit lead until midway through the second half. The host Knights (7-9, 3-5) scored nine straight points over a three minute second half span cutting a 14-point lead down to five, but Alvernia closed with 14 of the last 16 for the 20-point win.
Alvernia senior Mandy Reinhart (Pine Grove, PA/Pine Grove) tallied three 3s for the second straight game and ended the night with 13 points. Junior guard Kerry Higgs (Westminster, MD/Westminster) filled the stat sheet with eight points, four rebounds, six assists, and four steals. The Scarlet Knights got 10 points from Becky Soda (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Ryan) and a 15-point, 15-rebound double double from Katie Lynch (Philadelphia, PA/Little Flower).
Arcadia opened the early 7-4 lead with just under three and a half minutes elapsed. Freshman Tenay Gaddy (LaPlata, MD/McDonough) scored for Alvernia with a pair of free throws and Higgs followed with four points to give Alvernia a 10-7 lead. Sophomore Ashley Shrawder (Dalmatia, PA/Line Mountain) knocked down her first of two 3s on the night in front of three from Fortna, and Shrawder capped the 14-0 run with a bucket.
Reinhart hit a pair of 3s in the final six minutes of the opening half and Fortna tossed in five points as the Crusaders countered all Arcadia runs to hold a 12 point lead at the break, 32-20.
Erin Knarr (Sinking Spring, PA/Wilson), Gaddy, and Reinhart completed an 8-0 run to open the second half and the Crusaders were up 20 with 18:29 to play. Arcadia started to chip away at the lead as Lynch capped a 9-4 run to cut the lead to 15 points. Gaddy assisted on a bucket and followed with another as the lead went back to 19, 48-29 with 14:06 to play.
Stephanie Bates (Philadelphia, PA/Little Flower) scored a pair of free throws and Lynch tallied five points on a 9-0 Arcadia run that cut the lead to 10 points. Alvernia junior Camrell Gholston (Westminster, MD/McDonogh School) stopped that run with a bucket and Fortna’s jumper at 9:15 put Alvernia back up 14, 52-38. Krystle Jackson (Vineland, NJ/Buena Regional) knocked down a 3 and Lynch scored four points during Arcadia’s second 9-0 run of the half that cut the gap to five, 52-47 with 6:26 to go.
Shrawder’s 3 and Fortna’s bucket double the Crusader’s lead to 10 and following a Soda hoop at 4:57, Alvernia scored the final 12 points to seal the win.
Alvernia 69, Arcadia 49
