Green Terror enters tournament on high note with 82-70 win over Gettysburg

WESTMINSTER, Md. - Seniors Ali Moreland (Davidsonville, Md./South River) and Sally Grace (Catonsville, Md./Mount de Sales Academy) combined to can nine 3-pointers as part of a combined 35-point effort in McDaniel's 82-70 win over No. 24 Gettysburg in Centennial Conference (CC) women's basketball action on Saturday.

Moreland recorded her first double-double for the Green Terror (18-6, 16-4 CC) with 20 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. In addition to her ninth collegiate 20-point outing, the senior used her final home game to became the first player since Kristy Costa to notch 20 points and 10 rebounds in the same game. Costa turned the trick three times, last coming at Muhlenberg on Feb. 16, 2006.

Grace matched her career high with five 3-pointers as part of the 12-triple barrage, setting a program record for treys in game. Grace also keyed the previous effort, knocking down four against St. Mary's (Md.) as a freshman. McDaniel canned 11 3-pointers in that Nov. 26, 2006 contest.

Katelyn Fischer (Reisterstown, Md./Seton Keough) added 19 points, hitting a pair of triples.

Caitlin Moser led four players in double digits for the Bullets (22-3, 17-3 CC) with 24 points. She also added a double-double with 10 rebounds. Julie McGrory reached 15 points for the seventh time in the last eight games with 15 points while Courtney Fields and Lauren Dadigan registered 12 and 10, respectively.

Grace opened the game with a 3-pointer 53 seconds into the contest, staking the hosts to a 3-0 lead - an advantage they would never relinquish.

Grace followed with a pull-up 3-pointer on the Green Terror's next possession before Moreland followed with the first of her career-high four treys to give McDaniel a 9-1 lead 2:07 into the game.

A Fields layup and two buckets from Moser pulled Gettysburg within 9-7 just 1:18 later but a Grace triple and two Catherine Mills (Ijamsville, Md./Urbana) free throws - the first Green Terror points of the game to not come on a 3-pointer - with 15:36 to play in the opening half pushed the lead back to seven.

Back-to-back Fischer layups, including a steal-and-bucket stretched the lead to double figures for the first time at 20-9 with 13:58 to play.

McDaniel extended the lead to 13 before a 9-2 burst trimmed the deficit to 28-22 with 8:58 showing.

Two Moreland 3-pointers and a Fischer layup accounted for an 8-0 counter that gave the Green Terror its largest lead of the first half at 36-22.

A Moser layup in the final 30 seconds of the stanza made it a 46-37 game at the break but two Ashley Lyles (Laurel, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti) free throws 29 seconds into the second half re-established the double-digit advantage.

Clinging to a 50-41 lead, Moreland hit a pair of charity tosses to ignite a 9-0 run that gave McDaniel its largest lead of the game, 59-41 with 14:14 to play.

A Grace 27-footer with 3:05 to play was the record-breaking 3-pointer, keying a game-clinching 7-0 stretch after the visitors had pulled within 71-62 with 4:24 showing. 

Moreland added five assists and four steals. Cara Thompson (Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown) added seven rebounds for McDaniel, which finished with a 39-36 advantage on the glass.

By virtue of Muhlenberg's 80-46 victory over Gettysburg, the Mules will host next weekend's conference tournament.

The Green Terror and Bullets will meet in the semifinals. Game time will be announced on Monday.

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