BOX SCORE

Reading, Pa. (Jan. 23, 2010) - Alvernia University sophomore Angela Altemose (Pottsville, Pa./Nativity BVM) scored her fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 14 rebounds and junior Kelli McIntyre (Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain) pulled within 31 points of 1,000 for her career with a game-high 21 as the Crusaders (8-5, 4-3) cruised to a 79-59 win over Lycoming College (4-13, 2-5) Saturday afternoon in Commonwealth Conference women's basketball action at the Physical Education Center.

Alvernia held an opponent under 60 points for the fifth time this season.

"I thought our defensive intensity was good in the second half of the game," head coach Kevin Calabria said following the win.  "Probably the best it's been all year."

Alvernia let the Warriors hang around through the first half allowing a 42-percent shooting effort from the 3-point arc, but turned that into a 1-for-10 from the same range in the second half.  McIntyre needed to answer a 3 from Jess Zerbie on the last possession of the half to give Alvernia a six-point lead at the break, 34-28.

The Crusaders held a five-point lead, 40-35 with 16:43 to go before McIntyre and junior Lil Snyder (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter Strasburg) scored eight points each and sophomore Alli Toczylowski (Mantua, N.J./Clearview Regional) tallied the last five of a 28-9 run that spanned nearly eight minutes and put the Crusaders comfortably ahead, 68-44 with nine minutes to play.

"I thought Lil really helped us today," Calabria said, "and it was nice to see Alli T. look like an All-American out there."

Toczylowski and Snyder both finished with 14 points to help the Crusaders' efforts.

"Overall you have to be happy," Calabria said. " We needed a win and we needed a conference win, so this is very nice."

The Crusaders are now halfway through the conference schedule, and at 4-3 are alone in fourth place a game behind Widener in third and two clear of Albright, Elizabethtown, and Lycoming at 2-5 tied for fifth.

"The good thing is we have the three teams ahead of us coming here in the second half," Calabria said reflecting on his team's position and the rest of the conference schedule.

The Crusaders take a break from conference play this week traveling to Moravian and Neumann, and kick off the second half next Saturday hosting Elizabethtown.

Alvernia 79, Lycoming 59