After 40 minutes of nail biting action, the Lady Cavs pulled out a huge win over Alvernia University, defeating the Lady Crusaders on Monday, Jan. 28.
Cabrini extended its 11-game winning streak to 12, as they held on for a 54-52 win in front of the home crowd at the Nerney Field House.
The Lady Cavs are now 17-3 overall this season.
The Lady Cavs trailed in the game early but would go on a 12-0 run as they took the lead 14-5.
Junior Annie Rivituso had an outstanding game, matching her career high with 16 points and posting nine rebounds.
The Lady Crusaders wasted little time climbing back into the game. Alvernia worked quickly and cut the Lady Cavs lead down to two.
But the Cavaliers turned things around quickly, establishing another sizable lead by going on another 12-0 run. Senior Laura Caron’s jump shot would help the Lady Cavs go in front by 14.
But Alvernia wouldn’t exit the half on a cold spell. The Lady Crusaders played a hard 76 seconds to close the first half and a late three-pointer would cut Cabrini’s lead to 10 at the break, 30-20.
Out of the half, the Lady Cavs came out looking fierce, adding eight unanswered points to take an 18-point lead, their largest of the game.
But that margin was hardly insurmountable for the Lady Crusaders. They battled their way back to cut the lead to seven before Cabrini sophomore Megan Decker drained a three-pointer to bring the score to 48-38.
Once again, the Lady Crusaders had an answer. They followed with a nine-point run, cutting the Lady Cavs lead to one with 2:45 to play.
Despite shooting just 44 percent from the free-throw line, the Lady Cavs added some much-needed insurance when Rivituso drained a pair of foul shots to extend the lead to three.
Junior Brittany Sandone doubled the Lady Cavs’ lead shortly thereafter with a clutch three-pointer from the corner.
Even in the waning moments of the game, the Lady Crusaders kept Cabrini on its heels. With six seconds left and the final possession, Alvernia raced up the floor with a chance to tie. But a driving lay-up by Brittany Young was off target and the Lady Cavs had secured the victory.
With their win streak still in tact, the Lady Cavs return to conference play after one final hiatus. The Lady Cavs will put an undefeated conference record on the line for the remainder of the season.
After a matchup against Neumann University on Wednesday, Jan. 30, the Lady Cavs travel to face Centenary College on Saturday, Feb. 2, at 1 p.m. for their first of four remaining games in the regular season.