the visiting Crusaders closed the first half with a 25-7 run to break open a close game and cruise to a 77-50 win.

Eastern picked up 7 early points from Patrice Freeman as they jumped to an early 9-4 lead, but steady pressure from the Crusaders forced the Eagles into 31 turnovers for the game and created several easy chances as the visitors crawled back into the game.

Up 15-14 with just over 11 minutes to play in the half, Alvernia began to pull away with consistent trips to the foul line to close the period. The Crusaders shot 16-25 from the foul line for the first half, and led 40-21 despite not scoring in the last three minutes of the half.

The Eagles showed life early in the second half, and cut the Alvernia lead to 13 early, but ultimately succumbed to the steady pressure of the Alvernia full-court press. Jill Rosalie and Alexandra Velazquez each scored 14 points to secure game-high honors for the Crusaders. Mandy Kuiken and Shanell Timothy each scored 12 points for the Eagles. Freeman finished the afternoon with 10 points.  

The Eagles will try to earn their first win of the season Monday when they host Rosemont College in a Pennsylvania Athletic Conference game.