HUNTINGDON, Pa.-The Juniata women's basketball team made several runs but could not quite come back as they fell to Rosemont, 69-53, on day two of the Juniata College Holiday Classic sponsored by Comfort Inn Saturday afternoon in Memorial Gymnasium.
The Ravens tallied the first four points of the game before Kaeana Rebert (Hanover, Pa. / South Western) from the right wing to the baseline. She got under the hoop before she kicked the ball to Cassie Mock (Martinsburg, Pa. / Central Martinsburg) in the left corner who drilled a three to open the scoring for JC. Mock followed with a pair of free throws and a few possessions later Rebert came off a pick before she swished a three from the right wing to tie the game at 8-8. The teams traded buckets over the next several minutes with Rosemont leading 14-12 with three and half minutes to go. On the next Eagle offensive possession, Mock drove from the left wing of a pick from Gracie Stauffer (Loysville, Pa. / West Perry). Mock lob a pass to a rolling Stauffer and she laid it in off the glass to tie things at 14. Madison Colyer (Newville, Pa. / Big Spring) found Grace Long (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin) for a triple from the left wing to give the Eagles a three-point lead. The Ravens scored the final five points as JC trailed 19-17 after one.
Mock opened the second quarter by rattling home a three from the top of the key. Following a Raven jumper, Stauffer snared an offensive rebound and found a wide-open Long who laid the ball in to make it 22-21. Mock found Stauffer for another layup, but the Ravens went on a 10-0 run over the next five minutes before Stauffer sunk a pair of free throws to make it 35-26 with thirty-six seconds to go in the half. Mock got two looks at a jumper in the final seconds but both attempts rattled out as the Eagles trailed by nine, 35-26 at half.
The Ravens opened the second half strong as they pushed their lead to eighteen in the first five minutes. Megan Haines (Bloomsburg, Pa. / Bloomsburg) found Kymiah Carpenter (Baltimore, Md. / Gerstell Academy) in the corner for a triple, Jamie Mahigel (Lewistown, Pa. / Mifflin County) and Averie Hess (Jersey Shore, Pa. / Jersey Shore) both converted a pair of foul shots before Larissa Leonard (Three Springs, Pa. / Southern Huntingdon) found Hess for a layup inside which made it 54-40, Rosemont. The Ravens split a pair of free throws and Hess grabbed the rebound. She came up the floor to the top of the key; after no one stepped up to guard her she rose up and drilled a three to make it 55-43. Mock found Stauffer inside for another layup before Rebert found Mock for a jumper as the Juniata pulled within eight, 55-47, as the third quarter ended.
Stauffer converted two foul shots and a layup in the first two minutes to keep Juniata within 10, but Rosemont kept coming as they pushed their advantage to 67-51 with just under six minutes remaining to seal the game.
Juniata held a 49-41 advantage on the boards, but Rosemont scored 23 points off Eagle turnovers.
Juniata will not play again until the New Year as they will host Lycoming on January 2. Tipoff is at 4:00.