HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata women's basketball team fell to #3 University of Scranton, 69-45, Saturday afternoon at Memorial Gymnasium.
The Royals scored the first four points of the game before Grace Long (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin) cleaned up her own miss and laid it in. After a Scranton three, Larissa Leonard (Three Springs, Pa. / Southern Huntingdon) tossed the ball to Gracie Stauffer (Loysville, Pa. / West Perry) along the right baseline and she knocked down the jumper to make it 7-4. A Kaeana Rebert (Hanover, Pa. / South Western) layup made it 7-5 four and half minutes into the game. A quick 8-0 surge by the Royals made it 15-6. On the next Eagle possession, Madison Colyer (Newville, Pa. / Big Spring) got the ball, drove along the right baseline before pulling the ball back through her legs to shake her defender. She rose up and drilled the jumper to break the cold spell for the Eagles. Rebert lobbed the ball inside to Stauffer and she finished inside to make it 18-10. After a Scranton layup, Long got the ball and drove from the left wing and laid the ball in through heavy contact to cut the deficit to eight as JC trailed 20-12 after one.
The Royals opened the second quarter with an 8-0 surge over the first five minutes of the second quarter as the Eagles couldn't score until Stauffer scored inside. On the next offensive possession with the clock running down, Leonard drove from the left side into the paint and kicked it out to Long who converted the jumper as the shot clock sounded to make it 30-16. Colyer swished a jumper to cut the deficit to 12 and JC got another stop on the other end. Long lobbed the ball to Stauffer and she hauled it in while surrounded by Scranton players. She pivoted to her left and laid the ball in on the left side of the hoop to make it 30-20. Scranton drilled a three to close the scoring in the first half.
The Royals slowly expanded their lead early in the third quarter, with a layup putting them up 18 with six minutes remaining. Cassie Mock (Martinsburg, Pa. / Central Martinsburg) was fouled shooting a three and make two of the free throws. The Royals countered with a layup and three points the old-fashioned way to push their lead to 21. Stauffer found Mock in the left corner for a three, the two switched roles as a Mock lobbed the ball inside to Stauffer for a layup to cut the deficit to 14 with a minute and half to go. But Scranton hit two threes, with the last one at the buzzer to head in the fourth up 20.
The Royals won the fourth, 16-12 as they went on to win 69-45.
Juniata returns to action at home against Elizabethtown, Wednesday at 7:00.