Eagles Cruise Past Lions in Home Opener

Larissa Leonard
Larissa Leonard tallied 15 points, five rebounds, and two steals in the win over Penn State-Schuylkill, Monday evening.

HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata women's basketball team got points from 11 different players as they won handily against visiting Penn State Schuylkill Monday evening, 93-44, Monday evening inside Memorial Gymnasium in their first home game of the year.

Averie Hess (Jersey Shore, Pa. / Jersey Shore) nailed a foul-line jumper off a pass from Madison Colyer (Newville, Pa. / Big Spring) to tie things at 2-2. Gracie Stauffer (Loysville, Pa. / West Perry) scored inside before the Lions countered with a layup of their own. They jumped ahead with another layup before Cassidy Arnold (York, Pa. / Eastern York HS) rattled home a jumper from 12 feet out off a pass from Stauffer. Juniata closed the quarter on a 7-2 surge as they led 13-8 after one. In the final seconds of the period, Kymiah Carpenter (Baltimore, Md. / Gerstell Academy) swished a three from the right corner off a pass from Jamie Mahigel (Lewistown, Pa. / Mifflin County).  

The Lions scored seven of the first eight points of the quarter in a little over a minute as they went up 15-14.  

Larissa Leonard (Three Springs, Pa. / Southern Huntingdon) scored inside, Long converted a jumper and Megan Haines (Bloomsburg, Pa. / Bloomsburg) sunk her first of five threes off a pass from Carpenter to put the Eagles back ahead, 21-15. Hess found Stauffer down low for a layup before the Lions finally scored on a three, after going scoreless for nearly three minutes.  

Juniata kept coming as Haines drilled another three and Abigail E'nama (Lewes, Del. / Cape Henlopen HS) scored off a pass from Arnold to push the Eagle lead to 10.  

With just under four minutes to go in the half, Taylor Vrabel (Chambersburg, Pa. / Chambersburg) scored after grabbing an offensive rebound while being fouled. Her foul shot made it 31-18. 

Leonard knocked down a three of a pass from Colyer following a pair of Lion foul shots and two minutes later Carpenter drilled another three to make it 37-20 with just over a minute and a half to go.  

The Lions scored with exactly 30 seconds remaining on a jumper, but the Eagles countered with a Vrabel jumper off another Colyer assist as Juniata led 39-22 at the half.

The Eagles blitzed the Lions in the second half as they outscored them 54-22. 

Juniata will take on Susquehanna, Saturday at 4:00.