LATROBE, Pa. – Senior guard Ashton Bankos (York, Pa./York Catholic) netted 26 points to lead a trio of players in double figures, as Juniata College women's basketball posted a 76-63 come-from-behind win over Saint Vincent College, Saturday afternoon at the Carey Center.
Sophomore Kate McDonald (Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa./State College Area) added 17 points with seven rebounds while junior Jordan Speck (Huntingdon, Pa./Southern Huntingdon) chipped in with 16 points and a team-high nine boards as Juniata improved to 5-0 on the season.
That matches the Blue and Gold's 5-0 mark to open both the 1990-91 and 1979-80 seasons as the best in program history.
Juniata shot just 33.3% (11-33) in the first half, six of which were from 3-point range. However Saint Vincent (3-1) shot just under 50% from the floor in the opening half, including four straight buckets to close out the first 20 minutes of play – including both a trey and a conventional three-point play by the Bearcats' Emily Fenton.
That late surge sent Saint Vincent into the locker room at the break with a 38-29 lead.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Speck early in the second half reeled the Saint Vincent lead back into single digits, and Juniata eventually regained the lead at the 11:38 mark of the frame on a McDonald jumper.
Fenton hit the second of two foul shots on the Bearcats' next trip up the floor, tying the game at 49-49. Bankos answered with a 3-pointer, one of two she hit in the game, giving the Eagles a lead they would refuse to relinquish.
Juniata slowly pulled away from Saint Vincent from there, with the Bearcats shooting just 2-of-8 from the field over the final three-and-a-half minutes.
Bankos dished our six assists for the Eagles and had five steals, while Natalie Glinsky (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) logged five assists to go along with eight points and four boards.
Saint Vincent had four players in double-figures, placed by Devin McGrath's 17 points. Brittany Sedlock charted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Fenton finished with 12 points.
Juniata has a short turnaround before its next game, as the Eagles host Frostburg State University on Sunday, Nov. 27, at 2:00 p.m. at the Kennedy Sports + Recreation Center.
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