BOX SCORE

Reading, Pa. (Mar. 4, 2009) - At first glance the box score will indicate that sophomores Kelli McIntyre (Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain)--28 points--and Alex Velazquez (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township)--20 points, eight rebounds--led fourth seeded Alvernia University (18-9) to an 88-66 win over #5 Neumann College (18-10) Wednesday evening in quarterfinal action of the ECAC South Region Women's Basketball Tournament, but the true savior was junior Joanna Graber (Manalapan, N.J./Notre Dame) who scored 15 of her 17 during a 21-6 Alvernia run to close the first half and erase what, at its worst, had been a 17-point deficit.

The host Crusaders fell into an early 11-0 hole missing its first nine shots from the floor.  Good looks, bad looks, inside, outside, it didn't matter as none of them fell through.  Alvernia finally got on the board when freshman Allison Toczylowski (Mantua, N.J./Clearview Regional) bounced home a pair of free throws with 14:24 on the first half clock.

"I thought we were going to get blown out," said Alvernia head coach Kevin Calabria.  His team hadn't played much harder than a walk-through practice in six days and the rust was evident. 

"We put in Chi-Chi and went man-to-man to pressure their guards a bit more," Calabria said.  "I think that pressure bothered them, and made them play a little faster than they wanted to."

Whatever it did, in combination with torrid shooting from Graber, it brought the Crusaders back to a two-point lead by halftime, 40-38.  Chi-Chi, or Ana Nieves (New Bedford, Mass./Greater New Bedford), had three assists, three steals, and three rebounds in the final 10 minutes of the half, and was a much-needed catalyst for the offense as well as the defense.

Neumann junior Brittany Whetts (Philadelphia, Pa./Bartrum), the Colonial States Athletic Conference Player of the Year, scored on a putback layup with 10:56 left in the first half to put the Knights up 23-6, their largest lead of the game.

Nieves had two assists and a layup during an 11-0 spurt that pulled the Crusaders within six at the 8:40 mark, but Whetts hit a pair of free throws and sophomore Katie Young (Wilmington, Del./Padua Academy) scored five points during a 7-0 Neumann answer that put the Knights back up 13 points, 32-19 with under seven on the clock.

After a few failed possessions on both ends McIntyre knocked down a jumper in the paint and then assisted on a Graber 3.  Senior Rachel Koerner (Bel Air, Md./Haford Tech) assisted on the next Graber 3 that cut the gap to five, 32-27, and Graber made it eight straight points with a layup at teh 3:29 mark.

Neumann finally answered that with its first bucket in just over three minutes, but McIntyre scored once more in the lane and Graber's third 3 of the half knotted the score at 34-all with 1:47 to play in the half.

Graber scored on jumpers twice more in the final 90 seconds of the half and Toczylowski's put back just shy of the horn gave Alvernia its firs lead of the game heading into the break.

Neumann showed no lingering effects after giving up a 17-point lead by nailing a 3 on its first possession of the half, but Graber assisted McIntyre on a 3 to answer.  Whetts, who totaled 22 for the Knights, tied the score at 43-all, and a temporary drought ensued before another McIntyre canned her second 3 of the half toa  46-43 lead.

Velazquez then scored four during an 8-0 Alvernia run that turned a tenuous one-point lead into a nine-point, 54-45 advantage with 15:16 to play.  The Crusaders kept the advantage at nine answering every Neumann score for the next three minutes and Lil Snyder's (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter Strasburg) corner 3 push the gap to 10 with 11:25 to go.

Alvernia managed just one field goal over the next four minutes, but Neumann failed to take advantage missing eight straight shots including a pair of free throws.

Nieves scored on a fastbreak layup to push the gap to a dozen in favor of the hosts and McIntyre went back-to-back for a 16-point lead with under five to play and the Crusaders cruised to a semifinal matchup with #8 Juniata which dispatched of top-seeded Albright 77-56 across town in the Bollman Center.

Second-seeded Gwynedd-Mercy College was also upset at home falling 66-62 to #7 Wesley.  #3 Manhattanville was the only other home team to win on Wednesday beating #6 Centennary 78-71.  The Valiants are scheduled to host a final four on the weekend.  Game times are not yet annouced.

#4 Alvernia 88, #5 Neumann 66