Solid Shooting Sends Women's Basketball Past Bridgeport, 83-67; Advances To ECC Semifinals
Box Score
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (March 4, 2009) – Despite four players scoring in double figures, the University of Bridgeport was unable to withstand C.W. Post as the fifth-seeded Pioneers defeated the Purple Knights, 83-67, to advance to the semifinal round of the East Coast Conference Women's Basketball Championships Wednesday evening at Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium.
The Pioneers improve to 13-13 overall and will play ECC regular season champion Queens College, who earlier defeated St. Thomas Aquinas, 56-44, Saturday at 12 p.m. at host Adelphi University. Bridgeport ends its season with a final record of 12-16 overall.
Freshman guard
Felicia Joyner (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) led all scorers with 28 points on 12 of 16 shooting from the field.
The game was tight through much of the first half as neither team led by more than a handful. The Pioneers took the lead for good with 10:34 remaining when junior guard
Gina Catherall (Bayside, N.Y.) nailed a long three-point field goal to put the visiting team ahead, 18-16.
Minutes later the Pioneers built their lead to 37-24 courtesy of a 12-0 run that included two trifectas from Joyner.
C.W. Post maintained its lead in the second half by consistently shooting at a 50.8 percent clip. Senior forward
Whitney Murrer (Richmond, Va.) scored 16 of her 20 points in the half.
Bridgeport cut the lead down to two (63-61) after a jumper from Julia Busalt with 8:34. The Pioneers answered back with back-to-back doubles from Murrer and Joyner to build the lead back up.
The Pioneers closed out the game via an 8-0 spurt. Catherall scored the game's final basket with a jumper at the 12-second mark to give the Pioneers a 16-point lead – their highest lead of the game.
Catherall completed the game with recording her first double-double of the season with 17 points and 13 assists while sophomore forward
Alyssa Lombardi (New Fairfield, Conn.) cleaned up on the glass with 12 rebounds for the Pioneers. Freshman guard
Noelle Pawlicki (Staten Island, N.Y.) registered an additional 10 points.
Junior guard Sidney Parsons led the Purple Knights with 16 points while junior guard Shannon Malone finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. Senior center Siobhan Moore added 12 points while senior forward Sandra Dziurdzia.