BOX SCORE

Gwynedd Valley, PA (Feb. 23, 2006) – Top-seeded Gwynedd-Mercy closed the first half with a 13-2 run and cruised through the second to earn a 67-37 win over #4 Alvernia College Thursday afternoon in semifinal action of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championships at the Griffin Complex.  GMC will host #2 Wesley College in the PAC Final on Saturday.

            Alvernia freshman Maria Williams (Philadelphia, PA/Padua Academy) hit a jumper with 6:39 left in the opening frame that pulled the visitors within four points, 14-10.  GMC followed with four straight points, and after an Allee Barnes (Blooming Glen, PA/Pennridge) jump shot the Griffins (23-3) closed the half with nine straight points to take a 27-12 lead at the break.

            Alvernia (14-13) trimmed the gap to 10 points with the first five points of the second half, but GMC answered with six straight as the hosts reestablished control.  Alvernia scored twice from the free throw line at 14:29 to pull within 14 points, 35-21 only to see the Griffins rattle off 10 straight to put the game out of reach.

            Alvernia dug its early hole converting on just 21 percent of its first half shots.  The Griffins weren’t much better at 35 percent, but the hosts tore up the nets in the second half shooting 52 percent in front of the home bench.

            Junior Kerry Higgs (Westminster, MD/Westminster) led the Crusaders with nine points.  Gwynedd-Mercy got a balanced scoring effort in the win.  Jillian Chiarantona (Abington, PA/Gwynedd-Mercy Academy) and Ashley Vandiver (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Ryan) each scored a dozen while Vandiver grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.  Kristy Cramp (Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley) and Karen Tierney (Philadelphia, PA/Kennedy-Kenrick) also reached double figures with 10 points apiece.

#1 Gwynedd-Mercy 67, #4 Alvernia 37