Chester, Pa. (Jan. 11, 2017) - Alvernia University (1-14, 1-6) overcame a late surge by the Pride to capture a 67-65 over victory over Widener University (4-11, 1-5) Wednesday evening in MAC Commonwealth Women's Basketball action at Widener.

Leading 64-62 with :07 remaining, Torie Zerbe gave the Crusaders the buffer it needed, delivering a clutch block at the top of key and converting both attempts from the foul line to establish a two-possession lead 66-62.

Widener refused to go quietly, making a quick 3 from the left wing and putting Maya Cooper on the line with :01 left. However, Cooper made her first to hold a 67-65 lead, and her missed second attempt killed the clock to seal the win.

Zerbe started overtime on a strong note for Alvernia, putting Alvernia up 58-56 on a layup. Widener closed the gap to one with a free throw, but Miranda Hoover responded with a short jumper to extend the margin to three with two minutes remaining in overtime.

Cooper then took advantage of a missed Pride 3, pushing the ball up the court and draining both from the line on a foul.

Zerbe bookended the Crusader run with another layup, giving Alvernia some distance at 64-57.

Widener used a drive in the lane and a 3 from out top to draw within a bucket 64-62 with :20 left.
 
After trailing 7-3 to start the game, Alvernia posted a 9-point run through the early part of the second quarter to take a 12-7 lead. Widener tried to halt the Crusaders momentum with a layup, but Hoover and Cooper layups between a pair of Abbie Zerbe 3's gave Alvernia its largest lead of the matchup 22-11.

A late run by the Pride brought Widener within five at the half, and an even shooting performance in the third quarter put the Crusaders up 41-36 entering the final quarter of regulation.
Alvernia pushed its margin to seven a minute into the fourth, but Widener chipped away to close the gap 48-47 at the six minute mark. The Crusaders held the Pride off for another three minutes before an Emily Hardy layup gave Widener the 52-51 edge.

The Pride attempted to keep Alvernia at bay, but a pair of layups by Hoover in the final minute, including one with four seconds left, forced the contest into overtime.

"Every single player stepped up today," noted head coach Sheila Cook. "This was a total team effort. Yesterday was our 50^th practice, and I'm so proud of how hard this group has worked all year. We are ready to continue to improve and get ready for our next game."

The Crusaders finished with four players in double-digit scoring, including Andrefski and both Torie and Abbie Zerbe. Hoover put together the double-double, netting 12 points with 12 rebounds.

Alvernia continues its conference schedule on Saturday, hosting Stevenson University at 1:00 pm.