Reading, Pa. (Feb. 28, 2011) - Alvernia University (13-13) gets a chance to renew an old rivalry Wednesday evening when it travels to Gwynedd-Mercy College (17-10) for an Eastern College Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Quarterfinal at 8:00 p.m.

The Crusaders earned the sixth seed and the Griffins earned the third seed.  The two teams split eight straight Pennsylvania Athletic Conference championships from 2000-07 with the Griffins claiming five of the eight.  Alvernia finished with five league titles in 16 years in the PAC before moving to the Freedom Conference in '08 and now the Commonwealth for the last two seasons.  The PAC has since been renamed the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC).

Alvernia qualified for the Commonwealth Conference playoffs, its 21st straight playoff appearance, on the final day of the regular season, but fell to eventual champion Lebanon Valley College in the semifinal.  Gwynedd-Mercy also lost in its conference semifinal, also to the eventual league champion, Neumann College.

Alvernia is led by All-Commonwealth First Team center Angela Altemose (Pottsville, Pa./Nativity BVM) who averages 14.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.  Junior Allie Toczylowski (Mantua, N.J./Clearview Regional) is second in both categories at 10.5 points and 9.4 rebounds.

The Griffins also have a pair of double-digit scorers in Kristy McGrath (16.4) and Brittany Neill (12.3).  Just like the Alvernia post players, the two are also 1-2 in rebounding with McGrath pulling down 7.6 boards per game and Neill getting 6.2.

ECAC South Region Women's Basketball
#8 Moravian @ #1 Waynesburg
#7 Wesley @ #2 Catholic
#6 Alvernia @ #3 Gwynedd-Mercy
#5 Marywood @ #4 PSU-Behrend