WASHINGTON, DC - The top two seeds took care of business on Friday during the United East Championship semifinals, beginning with No. 1 Gallaudet University defeating No. 4 St. Mary's College of Maryland, 62-55. Second-seeded SUNY Morrisville then did their part in the second tilt of the evening as they downed No. 3 Penn State Harrisburg, 78-60.
Gallaudet and Morrisville will now square off in the United East Championship Final, which will take place at 4 p.m. right back on the campus of Gallaudet.
GALLAUDET - 63
ST. MARY'S COLLEGE - 55
It was a tough battle between the host Bison and the Seahawks as the game saw seven tied scores and six lead changes. Gallaudet pulled away in the final minutes of the fourth though, punching their ticket to the Championship final.
United East Player of the Year Cassidy Perry showed why she earned the honor as she nabbed a 14 point, 14 board double-double. Joining her in the double-double category was teammate Malia Zornoza, who tallied a game-high 17 points to go with her 11 boards. Emelia Beldon controlled the point for the Bison, racking up 16 points and five assists.
Karon Williams led the way for St. Mary's College, scoring a team-high 16 points. She was helped by Amira Whitaker and Cassidy Kupchinskas, who both finished with 11 points. Stehpanie Howell was the main paint presence for the Seahawks, hauling in 13 boards.
MORRISVILLE - 78
PENN STATE HARRISBURG - 60
The Mustangs got off to an early start and maintained a comfortable lead through the halftime intermission. Harrisburg brought some full court pressure in the second half and seemed to be able to claw back into the contest, but Morrisville was able to keep the Lions at bay and secure their spot in the Championship Final.
The forward, Mustang pair of Brooke Hammersley and Cara Walker both walked away with double doubles as Hammersley went for 15 points and 11 boards while Walker went for 12 points and 10 rebounds. Also pitching in on the offense was Rachel Vieira and Olivia Brunner who pitched in 17 and 16 points, respectively. From beyond the arc, Abby Vandewalker found her stroke as she sank four 3-pointers.
Leading the way for the Lions was Anna Mahan as she led the team in points (19) and rebounds (11).
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The United East has nine NCAA Division III member institutions which include: Gallaudet University, Lancaster Bible College, Morrisville State, Penn College, Penn State Abington, Penn State Berks, Penn State Harrisburg, St. Mary's College of Maryland and Wells College. The United East also includes three associate members in the sport of men’s golf including Rosemont College, Rutgers University – Camden and Wilson College. The United East has also partnered with the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference in the sports of men's and women's lacrosse and the North Atlantic Conference in men's tennis and women's tennis. For more information, please visit: gounitedeast.com.