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Reading, Pa. (Jan. 14, 2009) - Freshman center Allison Toczylowski (Mantua, N.J./Clearview Regional) scored six of her 14 points during a 13-2 first-half run that gave Alvernia University (7-5, 4-2) the lead for good in a 74-67 win over FDU-Florham (7-7, 1-4) Wednesday evening in Freedom Conference women's basketball action at the Physical Education Center.

Sophomore Kelli McIntyre (Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain) scored a team-high 21 points to lead the Crusaders.  Its the sixth time the current Freedom Conference Player of the Week has gone over 20 this season.  Junior guard Joanna Graber (Manalapan, N.J./Notre Dame) added 10 points to round out the double-digit scores for the Crusaders. 

FDU got a team-high 22 points from senior Emily Cerankowski (Easton, Pa./Notre Dame), 14 from Courtney Young(Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne), and 13 from junior Danielle Michlovsky (Wind Gap, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic).

The Devils opened the game with four straight from Cerankowski who terrorized the Alvernia defense scoring eight of FDU's first 14 points as the guests opened up a 14-10 lead with 12 minutes left in the first half.

Toczylowski scored on a layup in the paint and freshman Anna Wengert (Annville, Pa./Lebanon Catholic) hit an elbow 3 to give Alvernia its first lead, 15-14, a lead it never surrendered.

Senior reserve Rachel Koerner (Bel Air, Md./Harford Tech) was fouled on a putback attempt and sank a pair of free throws.  Toczylowski followed with a layup and Koerner a jumper as Alvernia capped the 13-2 run taking a 21-14 lead with under 10 on the clock.

The first-half lead was nine points twice, both times following McIntyre layups and Alvernia settled for a 34-29 lead at the break.  Toczylowski's first half efforts helped the Crusaders to a 22-10 first half lead in points in the paint.

The second half lead grew back to nine early, but Cerankowski and Young combined for five straight to cut it to four points, 40-36 at the 17-minute mark.  It remained four before McIntyre capped an 8-2 run with a jumper that gave Alvernia its first double-digit lead of the night, 51-41 with 11:20 to go.

That lead grew as high as 14 points, but FDU answered that deficit with an 8-0 run capped by two Cerankowski free throws to pull within six, 59-53.  Alvernia slowly built the cushion back to 10 and then 12, and was able to hold off a scrappy Devils' effort down the stretch for its third straight win.

The Crusaders are in action at home again on Saturday when they host Wilkes University in a women's and men's doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m.  Both games will be webcast live through the Alvernia website.

Alvernia 74, FDU-Florham 67