Frederick, MD. (Jan. 6, 2016) - Alvernia University (6-7,1-3) stayed out of reach of Hood College (4-10, 0-5), collecting a 79-77 victory Wednesday evening in MAC Commonwealth Conference action at Hood. 

With a four point margin entering the fourth quarter, Jenna Wolff put in a layup in the paint before Logan Focht drained one from behind the arc to give Alvernia the 63-54 lead. Wolff responded to a Blazer 3-point play with 3 of her own, and Tyra Roberts made a trio of layups to extend the Crusaders lead 72-61.

Hood hit an 8-point run to cut the margin 72-68, but Roberts added some insurance on a fast break dish from Wolff. Olivia Andrefski mirrored a Blazer layup to stay up 76-70, and Focht bettered a Hood free throw with a set of them to increase the lead 78-71.

The Blazers kept things interesting in the final 30 seconds, outscoring the Crusaders 6-1, but the clock was on Alvernia's side, giving Alvernia the 79-77 win.

The Crusaders carried a 33-31 advantage into the half, led by Roberts who netted 13 points across the first 20 minutes. Down 18-14 to start the second quarter, Miranda Hoover sparked a 10-point Alvernia run for the 24-18 go ahead. The Blazers cut the margin to 2 on three different occasions throughout the quarter, but could not swing the lead in their favor.

Hood made its closest attempt to regaining the upper hand in the third quarter, using back-to-back layups to come within one at 55-54 with a minute left in the period. Kim Whelan, returning for the Crusaders after missing a 5-game stint, reestablished Alvernia's buffer with a 3.

Roberts continued her double-double streak, tying her season-high 21 points while picking up 11 boards. Wolff added 16 points for the Crusaders, while Focht and Chelsea Ebersole each had 13. 

Alvernia hits the road again on Saturday, heading to Widener University to continue MAC Commonwealth play. Tip off is set for 1:00 p.m.