McIntyre also led the Crusaders’ efforts on the glass with 10 rebounds. Senior guard Jen Sawyer (Taneytown, MD/Francis Scott Key) and Mandy Reinhart (Pine Grove, PA/Pine Grove) pitched in with 13 points each and Trish O’Gurek (Summit Hill, PA/Panther Valley) added 10 points and nine rebounds. Wesley sophomore Robin Smith (Washington, DC/St. John’s College High) led all scorers with 20 points and game-high 12 rebounds. Freshman reserve Brittany Lundy (New Castle, DE/William Penn) scored 15 points and Tracia Casarotta (Camden, DE/Caesar Rodney) added 10 points for the Wolverines (14-12).
Wesley held the lead for much of the first half working the ball down to Smith on the post for short jumpers over the smaller Crusaders defenders. Casarotta dropped in a layup at the 10:16 mark giving the guests their largest lead of the first half, 20-14. The Crusaders tied the score at 22-all on a 3 from Lauren Fortna (Lebanon, PA/Lebanon Catholic) in the middle of a 12-0 run that put the hosts up 29-22 with 6:11 left in the half. Reinhart followed Fortna’s 3 with a layup and hit a 3 from the top to end it. Wesley worked the ball back down to Smith on the next possession and quickly ran off a 10-0 spurt to take back a 3-point edge, 32-29, with 4:33 on the clock. Scoring was sparse over the remainder of the half with Alvernia taking a 33-32 lead to the break following a pair of McIntyre free throws.
Reinhart’s second and final 3 of the night gave Alvernia a 38-34 edge early in the second half, but Wesley scored five straight to take back the lead. The lead changed hands seven times over the next 3:33 with Alvernia finally extending to a multi-possession lead, 51-46, on a Sawyer jumper and a layup from Camrell Gholston (Westminster, MD/McDonogh). Wesley scored five straight for a 51-all tie, but Alvernia answered with seven straight sparked by Gholston’s second straight bucket. Smith stopped the run with a free throw, but Alvernia went on a 10-5 run led by there each from McIntyre and Androsko for an 11-point lead with 3:28 to play. Wesley pulled within nine in the final minutes, but could get no closer as Alvernia advances to face top-seeded Gwynedd-Mercy on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. as part of a PAC Championship doubleheader at the Griffin Complex. The men’s game will also feature Alvernia and Gwynedd-Mercy in a 7:00 tip.
#2 Alvernia 75, #6 Wesley 66
WESLEY COLLEGE (14-12) Robin Smith 9-19 2-5 20; Brittany Lundy 5-11 2-3 15; Tricia Casarotta 5-9 0-0 10; Colleen Joyce 3-9 0-0 9; Keyana Washington 2-5 2-2 6; T'Neisha Turner 2-8 2-6 6; Natasha Blackwell 0-1 0-0 0; Ginny Roma 0-2 0-2 0. Totals 26-64 8-18 66. ALVERNIA COLLEGE (20-7) Erin McIntyre 5-13 5-6 16; Jen Sawyer 3-13 7-8 13; Mandy Reinhart 4-7 3-6 13; Trish O'Gurek 3-9 4-4 10; Camrell Gholston 4-10 0-0 8; Kacie Androsko 3-8 1-2 7; Lauren Fortna 2-3 0-0 6; Kristin McCloskey 1-1 0-2 2; Kerry Higgs 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-65 20-28 75. Wesley College................ 32 34 - 66 Alvernia College.............. 33 42 - 75 3-point goals-Wesley College 6-16 (Colleen Joyce 3-7; Brittany Lundy 3-6; T'Neisha Turner 0-1; Ginny Roma 0-2), Alvernia College 5-18 (Mandy Reinhart 2-5; Lauren Fortna 2-2; Erin McIntyre 1-6; Kerry Higgs 0-1; Jen Sawyer 0-4). Fouled out--Wesley College-Robin Smith, Alvernia College-None. Rebounds-Wesley College 41 (Robin Smith 12), Alvernia College 48 (Erin McIntyre 10). Assists-Wesley College 10 (T'Neisha Turner 3; Colleen Joyce 3), Alvernia College 18 (Mandy Reinhart 6). Total fouls-Wesley College 23, Alvernia College 15. A-400