Huntingdon, Pa.- The #20 Juniata women's basketball team only allowed 10 first half points on their way to a 65-46 victory over visiting Susquehanna, Wednesday evening in Memorial Gymnasium.
Gracie Stauffer (Loysville, Pa./West Perry) had a season-high 24 points and seven rebounds, Dani Atkinson (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Catholic) totaled 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals while Veronica Cosmopolis (Lima, Peru/Colegio Carmelitas) added 11 points and two steals. Morgan Instone (Johnstown, Pa./Bishop McCort) had seven points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
The River Hawks scored the opening bucket of the game, Instone scored off a pass from Spencer and Susquehanna scored inside again to take an early 4-2 lead. The Eagle defense clamped down from there as JC closed the quarter on a 11-0 run as they led 13-4 after one.
Cosmopolis opened the second by making two foul shots and a few possessions later, Rachael Anstine (York, Pa./York Country Day) drilled a shot from the elbow to make it 17-4. Cosmopolis swished a three from the right side and Instone scored inside after an offensive rebound to make it 22-4. Following another Susquehanna miss, Anstine crashed the offensive boards and grabbed an errant Eagle miss and swung back out to Cosmopolis. The shot clock did not reset, so with a few seconds to go she sized up her defender and rose up, sinking her second three of the quarter.
Susquehanna scored their first basket nearly five minutes into the quarter before Instone passed out of a double team to Bethany Spencer (York, Pa./York Suburban) in the right corner who nailed a three of her own to make it 28-6. Susquehanna scored the final two buckets of the quarter as JC led, 28-10 at halftime.
Susquehanna began to find their feet offensively, and midway through the quarter, a layup inside pulled them within 14 at 33-19. Stauffer and Atkinson combined to score 12 of the 13 Eagle points in the quarter as JC led 41-28 after three.
Susquehanna scored the first bucket of the fourth to pull within 11 before the Eagle offense began to roll. Atkinson swished a three from the right corner off a pass from Stauffer and Instone and followed with an old fashioned three, scoring while being fouled down low and sinking the foul shot to make it 47-32. Susquehanna came back down and answered with a three of their own to get back within 12.
Stauffer scored the next 12 JC points as Susquehanna had no answer for her inside. Her 12-7 run made it 59-42 as JC cruised to their 15th win of the year.
The Eagles dominated the glass 52-28, including 22 offensive rebounds.
JC will host Moravian, Saturday at 4:00.