Dec. 22, 2004

Box Score

ERIE, Pa. - Three players earned all-tournament honors and the Lewis University women's basketball team brought home the Avalon Classic Tournament championship after beating host Gannon 73-66.

The Flyers (6-5) upended a tough Golden Knight squad that entered the game 8-1 overall and leading the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) South Division. Rugged defense that forced 19 turnovers and strong board play helped guide Lewis above .500.

Sophomores Mary Moskal and Erin Cox and junior Shante Glenn all earned spots on the all-tournament team. Moskal posted her second consecutive double double and third of her career with 14 points and 11 rebounds (seven offensive). Cox led the team with 18 points in its opening game of the tournament and followed that performance with her first career double double; she had 14 points and 11 rebounds as well. Glenn tallied 15 points, five rebounds and three assists on the heels of a 10-point, eight-assist game the night before.

The Flyers led 34-31 at halftime and were buoyed by Cox' 11 points and seven rebounds. There were six ties and neither team led by more than five points in the half.

Moskal put Lewis ahead for good with 16:07 left to play in the second half. She sank a pair of free throws to give the Flyers a 40-39 lead. Cox followed with a 3-pointer on Lewis' next possession, and sophomore Darcee Schmidt completed a three-point play to cap an 8-0 run that gave the team a solid 46-39 lead with 14:16 to play.

Lewis led by as many as 10 with just under six minutes left before Gannon (8-2) made a late charge that cut the deficit to just one. Gannon's Jen Gwin made a layup with 1:46 left that cut the Flyer lead to 65-64.

However, Schmidt made a free throw that pushed Lewis' lead back to two, and then added a 3-pointer a minute later that jumped the lead to 71-66. Schmidt blocked a 3-point attempt on Gannon's ensuing possession and Glenn corralled the rebound, was fouled, and made both free throws to help secure the victory.

Schmidt finished the game with a team-high 18 points and nine rebounds. She also had a team-best five assists.

Gannon's Christina Jackson led all scorers with 31 points. Jackson, who scored 27 points the night before, was named the tournament Most Valuable Player.