HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Juniata women's basketball outlasted the Cougars of Misericordia 69-68 in the first round of the Juniata Holiday Classic, Thursday evening in Kennedy Sports and Recreation Center.
The Eagles rolled out to a great start with four consecutive 3-pointers. Junior Jordan Speck (Huntingdon, Pa./Southern Huntingdon) was the first to put up three points just 13 seconds into the game. Senior Natalie Glinsky (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) was next just 24 seconds later and followed it up with another trey in the third minute. Senior Ashton Bankos (York, Pa./York Catholic) also drained a 3-pointer to put Juniata (10-1) up 12-4 with 4:30 expired in the contest.
The Cougars didn't lose hope in the first stanza as they stunted Juniata at 24 points, and went on a 7-0 run to bring the game within two points. Misericordia (4-5) eventually took the lead in the 26th minute with a 31-29 lead, but a Bankos layup with harm and a made foul shot put Juniata back on top with just under four minutes left in the half.
Holding a 38-33 advantage over the Cougars, the Eagles broke open the second stanza with a 15-6 run on Misericordia to give Juniata a 12-point lead. The run featured a junior Alyssia Gordon (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) 3-pointer and layup, freshman Alix Sellars (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon Area) and Speck layups accompanied by two Bankos charity stripe shots and a drive good for two secured a 53-41 lead in favor of Juniata.
Despite the 12-point lead, the Cougars weren't going to go down without a fight, and managed to dwindle the Juniata lead to just four points with 2:57 left on the game clock. Although a Glinsky drive brought the Eagle lead back up to six, Misericordia hammered home two foul shots, a layup and a 3-pointer to bring the game within just one point with three seconds left in the game. However, the Cougars couldn't pull out the win and dropped their fifth loss this season as the Eagles claimed their 10th victory.
Bankos led the scoring charge for the Eagles with 23 points, 17 of which came in the first stanza. Bankos finished the night going five-of-five from the charity stripe and 8-of-13 from the field. Glinsky drained 14 points, 12 marks coming from three 3-pointers, all of which were in the first half.
The Juniata squad shot for a .441 field shooting percentage coupled with a .321 beyond the arch percentage. Miersicorida ended the night with a .511 shooting percentage. Both teams earned 18 points off opposing team turnovers while also pulling down an equal 29 rebounds in the game.
Misericordia will face Saint Vincent College, who fell to Ramapo College of New Jersey earlier Thursday evening 79-64, Friday afternoon at 2:00 p.m., followed by a Juniata versus Ramapo match at 4:00 p.m. in Kennedy S+RC to conclude the Juniata Holiday Classic.
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