By: Jennifer Jones
Director of Sports Information
jonesj@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
Photo: Jennifer Jones
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – A late push downed the Juniata College women's basketball team as they fell 74-70 to Muskingum University in day one of the 2013 Comfort Inn Holiday Tournament. The Eagles (5-3) will get a rematch against St. Vincent College in the consolation game at 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 30.
"Rebounds killed us," said head coach Danny Young-Uhrich. "Getting outrebounded by 17 is something we can't bounce back from. We have to get our competitive edge back."
Four Eagles finished in double-figure points. Senior Kate McDonald (Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa./State College Area) had a game-high of 19 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Junior Kelsey Livoti (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) earned her eighth double-digit performance, picking up 15 points. And senior Jordan Hileman (Williamsburg, Pa./Williamsburg) put in 13 while sophomore Paige Dennison (East Berlin, Pa./Bermudian Springs) added in 10 of her own, respectively.
Juniata led by as many as eight in the first half and had a six-point lead going into the final seven minutes of play. But the Muskies went on a 10-0 run to take the lead back. With Muskingum up by four (72-58) with under a minute to play, McDonald muscled through two defenders to put in a layup and cut the gap to two. The Eagles earned a huge stop on the next possession and regained the ball with 22 seconds left.
Young-Uhrich called timeout to set up a play. With eight seconds on the clock, a three from the corner hit the rim and fell out. The Muskies grabbed the rebound and were fouled immediately. Gabbi Davis hit both free throws to push the lead out to four with seven seconds left. Juniata got off another three, but it rimmed out as time expired, ending the game.
Muskingum (4-5) will face DeSales University in the tournament championship at 4 p.m. following the Eagles matchup with St. Vincent. Juniata fell to the Bearcats 95-93 in double-overtime when they met earlier this month. The Eagles are 3-4 all-time against St. Vincent since the matchup started in the 2009-10 season. Juniata is 1-1 in Huntingdon against the Bearcats.
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