HUNTINGDON, Pa.-The Juniata women's basketball team lost their home opener to visiting Dickinson, 63-49, Tuesday evening in Memorial Gymnasium.
22 seconds into the contest Gracie Stauffer (Loysville, Pa. / West Perry) drew a foul inside and headed to the foul line where she split a pair to put JC ahead 1-0. On the next trip up the floor following a Red Devil layup, Madison Colyer (Newville, Pa. / Big Spring) found Stauffer who converted inside in heavy traffic. Two free throws from Cassie Mock (Martinsburg, Pa. / Central Martinsburg) and two Colyer jumpers one off an assist from Mock the other from Grace Long (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin) had the Eagles ahead 9-8 with 3:48 to go in the opening quarter. A Kaeana Rebert (Hanover, Pa. / South Western) pullup jumper were the final points of the quarter for Juniata as they didn't score over the final three minutes. Dickinson led 15-11 after one.
The second quarter opened with the Red Devils scoring the first five points of the period to push ahead 20-11 before Colyer sunk another jumper before she found Mock behind the three-point line and she drilled it to pull JC within four. A few minutes later, Mock hauled down a defensive rebound and went the length of the floor and laid it in to make it 22-18, Dickinson with a little under five minutes remaining in the half. Each teams' defenses held strong over the next two minutes as neither team could convert before Dickinson converted a pair of free throws to push ahead 24-18. Mock found Colyer for another jumper and Long setup Taylor Vrabel (Chambersburg, Pa. / Chambersburg) for a layup as Juniata pulled within two in the final 20 seconds. The Red Devils split a pair of free throws in the final six seconds. Mock raced down the floor and laid it off to Colyer under the hoop whose reverse layup found the sweet spot on the backboard and dropped in to pull Juniata within one, 25-24 heading into the half.
Rebert put Juniata ahead as she drove from the left wing, pulled up and drilled another jumper as Juniata retook the lead, 26-25. Stauffer cleaned up a miss and laid it in on the next offensive possession before Colyer scored inside as Juniata jumped ahead 30-25. The Red Devils slowly worked their way back into the lead, and with four and half minutes to go led 32-30. Mock made a pair of free throws, the Red Devils hit a three before Megan Haines (Bloomsburg, Pa. / Bloomsburg) hit one of her own to make it 35-35. Dickinson answered again with a three as they went back up 38-35. A layup in the final 28 seconds to go ahead by five. Juniata trailed after three, 40-35.
Neither team scored in the first minute and half before the Red Devils swished another three to move ahead by eight. Long snagged an offensive rebound and laid it in and Colyer made one of two foul shots to pull JC within five. With five and half minutes to go, the Red Devils made their sixth three to go ahead 51-38. Rebert converted two foul shots and Stauffer found Mock for her second triple of the day to make it 51-43, but Juniata got no closer the rest of the way.
Dickinson shot narrowly better from the field 37.1% to JC's 34.5%. Juniata's biggest issue was turnovers as they committed 28 to the visitors 13.
Colyer's 15 points was a career-high for the sophomore forward.
Juniata returns to action on the road this Saturday against #19 Gettysburg in the Lebanon Valley College Tip-Off Tournament Saturday at 7:00.