The Eagles jumped out to a 12-0 lead on the Mariners within the first six minutes of play due to the efforts of the Juniata's three junior players. Jordan Speck (Huntingdon, Pa./Southern Huntingdon) broke open the game with a pair of free throws, followed by an Alyssia Gordan (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) jumper and another two points from Speck. Natalie Glinsky (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) went on a five-point spree with a foul shot, layup and a 3-pointer.
Juniata (12-1, 2-0 Landmark) headed into the second 20 minutes of play holding a substantial 29-14 lead and the Eagles steadily increased their lead that peaked in the 36th minute with the score standing at 61-30.
The Eagles got to that 31-point lead from a 21-5 scoring run on the Mariners beginning just eight minutes into the second stanza. Sophomore Kate McDonald (Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa./State College Area) contributed a pair of foul shots as well as a single layup and a jumper. Senior Ashton Bankos (York, Pa./York Catholic) threw-in a 3-pointer and a layup, while fellow senior Meagan Raville (McSherrystown, Pa./Delone Catholic) added two back-to-back drives for two points apiece. Sophomore Jordan Hileman (Williamsburg, Pa./Williamsburg) also charted eight points from three layups and a pair of shots from the charity stripe in the Juniata scoring run.
McDonald played to a double-double with a team high 13 points and a squad topping 12 boards, twice as many rebounds as any other Juniata player. McDonald also accounted for seven of Juniata's 19 steals, the most swipes the Eagles have charted in a matchup yet this season.
Glinsky notched 12 points in the match as she shot four-of-six from the field, while Gordan chipped in 10 with a five-of-eight showing.
The Eagles, usually unstoppable from beyond the arc, went just 2-for-17 in the contest, the fewest the squad has hit in a game this season. Merchant Marine (2-7, 0-2 Landmark) managed just one trey in the match from Alexandra Winfree. From the field Juniata posted a .429 shooting percentage, while the Mariners chalked-up a .417 clip.
Women's hoops continues its Landmark weekend with a home contest against Drew University on Sunday, January 8. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
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