Alvernia-Richard Stockton Box | Gettysburg-Neumann Box

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Junior Caitlin Moser (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing) grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds and netted a team-high 17 points as Gettysburg College remained unbeaten on the year with a 59-55 victory over Neumann University in the opening round of the Days Inn Tournament inside Bream Gym Saturday evening.

Gettysburg (9-0) extended its school-record opening-season winning streak to nine games and now faces Alvernia University (5-1) in Sunday's championship game at 4 p.m. Alvernia blew a 21-point lead to Richard Stockton College (5-3), but rallied to score five of the final six points en route to a 74-72 decision. Neumann and Richard Stockton will face off in Sunday's consolation game at 2 p.m.

The Bullets had cruised for the most part in their first eight contests, and the tide quickly went the way of the Orange and Blue as the team went on a 9-0 run to take a 14-6 lead at 12:23. The advantage reached as many as 13 (30-17) when junior Mary Spicer (Floral Park, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) converted a nifty three-point play with 2:50 to play before the half as she ducked under the defense and flipped in a lay-up while drawing the foul.

Neumann closed the gap to 30-23 with a pair of buckets to end the half.

In the final period, the Knights set the tone early with three of the first four scores, including back-to-back lay-ups by Brittany Whetts which set the margin at just 32-29 two minutes into the half.

Gettysburg came right back with back-to-back-to-back tallies by senior Allie Drechsler (Westminster, Md./Winters Mill), Spicer, and Moser to regain a nine-point lead (38-29) at 16:43. The margin would reach double-figures on a jumper by senior Courtney Fields (Baltimore, Md./St. Paul's School for Girls) which upped the lead to 44-32 with just over 11 minutes to play.

The Knights refused to go away, steadily chipping away at the lead over the next five minutes and eventually slicing it down to a single possession. Whetts keyed the offense turning in 13 of her game-high 19 points in the second half, including a lay-up to cut the margin to 48-46 with 4:31 remaining.

Despite playing limited minutes due to foul trouble, Fields provided the biggest shot of the night by draining a three-pointer from the corner to reestablish a two-possession lead. Sophomore Sara Kinsley (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe) followed with a lay-up to set the score at 53-46 with 3:36 left.

Neumann managed to cut the lead to 55-52 on a three-pointer by Krista DiRomualdo with just over a minute on the clock, but four-straight free throws by Moser and Drechsler helped seal the victory.

Gettysburg held its ninth-straight opponent to less than 40 percent shooting this season as Neumann managed to convert only 22-of-67 field goals (32.8 percent). The Bullets also forced the Knights into 22 turnovers, but the latter held a definitive edge on the glass at 54-46.

Moser recorded her 11th career double-double and topped her previous rebounding high by three. She finished 7-of-15 from the floor and 3-of-6 from the charity stripe. Fields posted 11 points before fouling out late in the game, while Kinsley led the bench production with 10 points and eight rebounds.

Drechsler, who came into the game leading the Centennial Conference in steals, posted five on the night to go with seven points. Spicer finished with nine points and three assists.

Whetts led Neumann by going 8-of-17 from the floor and grabbed nine rebounds. DiRomualdo hefted a trio of three-pointers en route to 14 points, while Katie Young was a force on the glass with a game-high 18 caroms.

In Saturday's opening game, Alvernia established its dominance early and led 42-21 late in the first half before going into the break with what seemed a comfortable 44-30 lead. The Crusaders maintained a double-digit lead through the early going in the final stanza before Richard Stockton went on an incredible run. The Ospreys scored 14-straight points to pull to 55-54 with 8:46 remaining.

Alvernia maintained the upper-hand for several minutes, but Richard Stockton's resiliency eventually pulled through as the squad jumped ahead 69-67 on a lay-up by Julia Fagan with 1:57 to play. After a pair of free throws by Alex Velazquez knotted the game, Fagan again put the Ospreys ahead with a steal and fastbreak bucket at 1:17.

Joanna Graber came up with another game-tying score for Alvernia to set the score at 71-71 with 40 ticks left. The remainder of the game would be decided at the free throw line with Alvernia converting three attempts and Stockton just one. A desperation half-court heave by Fagan as time expired was well short of the goal, giving Alvernia the two-point win.

Four players netted at least a dozen points for the Crusaders, led by Kelli McIntyre's 13. Graber, Velazquez, and Alli Toczylowski each put in a dozen tallies, while Angela Altemose added nine points and 10 boards.

LaTonya Oliver led Richard Stockton with 14 points and Fagan added 12 and six rebounds.