BOX SCORE
Reading, PA (Feb 8,. 2006) – Gwynedd-Mercy College shot 58 percent from the floor used a 17-0 first half run to defeat Alvernia College, 85-71 Wednesday evening in Pennsylvania Athletic Conference women’s basketball action at the Physical Education Center.
Senior guard Jillian Chiarantona (Abington, PA/Gwynedd-Mercy Academy) scored five of her game high 22 points during the first half run that spanned 5:31 and turned a 25-23 Alvernia lead into a 40-25 lead for the Griffins (19-3, 13-0 PAC). Alvernia cut the lead back to eight points by the half and two points early in the second half, but GMC came back with a 21-7 run to put the game out of reach.
Freshman guard Kristy Cramp (Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley) scored 14 points off the bench for the Griffins. Karen Tierney (Philadelphia, PA/Kennedy-Kenrick) totaled 11 and Michelle Sgrillo (Philadelphia, PA/Cardinal Dougherty) and Ashley Vandiver (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Ryan added 10 each. Chiarantona was the only Griffin starter to reach double figures.
Alvernia (11-12, 10-5 PAC) was led by junior guard Lauren Fortna (Lebanon, PA/Lebanon Catholic) with a career high 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting off the bench and Mandy Reinhart (Pine Grove, PA/Pine Grove) scored 16 points and has 985 for her career.
Alvernia built an early eight point lead when a Fortna 3 and Reinhart layup put the Crusaders up 17-9. Gwynedd-Mercy chipped the lead back down to one on a Sgrillo layup and a possession later Chiarantona forged the third tie of the game with one of her game-high five 3s.
Alvernia sophomore Ashley Blevins (York, PA/Central York) gave Alvernia a 25-23 lead before the Griffins opened the floodgates with 17 straight. The visitors shot 6-of-7 from the floor during the stretch and capped it with three straight free throws.
Alvernia freshman Michelle Lutzkanin (Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin) knocked down a 3 to stop the scoreless stretch and Allee Barnes (Blooming Glen, PA/Pennridge) hit another as the Crusaders scored nine of the final 11 points of the half to enter the break down eight, 34-42.
The hosts ran off eight of 10 points to open the second half and found themselves down two, 44-42 with 17:17 to play. GMC junior Jackie Dougherty (Roslyn, PA/Abington) scored on a layup for the visitors and a pair of Cramp 3s pushed the gap to 11 at 11:50 and then 14 points, 63-29 with 8:54 to go. The 5-8 freshman added a layup on the next GMC possession and the Griffins enjoyed their largest lead of the night, a 16 point gap at the 8:15 mark.
Alvernia closed the gap to 10 points, 70-60 with 6:08 to go, but got no closer as GMC improved to 13-0 in conference play with three games to play.
Alvernia will host Marywood on Monday evening to wrap up the PAC regular season.
Gwynedd-Mercy 85, Alvernia 71
