BETHLEHEM, Pa.- The Juniata women's basketball team could not complete a fourth-quarter comeback against Moravian, falling 53-50 at Johnston Hall on Wednesday afternoon.
Bri Bodtorf led the Juniata offense with 14 points, going 5-for-8 on field goals and 3-for-4 on threes. She also posted a team-high five assists and three steals. Haily Sherman totaled 11 points with six rebounds and a pair of steals.
Off the bench, Laney Gerdich led the team with eight rebounds, while Sarah Betts led bench points with six.
Moravian won the tip, and it went directly to a Greyhounds player at the top of the key for an open layup to open the scoring, while they doubled their lead with a layup moments later.
Juniata opened their scoring three minutes into the game, as Olivia Berg passed from the left corner to Bodtorf on the left wing for a three. The Eagles broke a four-minute lapse in scoring across the sides as Steph Emert drew a foul and converted both foul shots to give Juniata first lead of the day at 5-4. A Sherman layup and one free throw helped to maintain the gap at the end of the first quarter with an 8-5 advantage.
The Greyhounds began the second quarter with a layup plus an and-one to get back to eight each. This began a nine-point run, with the Eagles eventually breaking the scoring drought with a Bodtorf step-back left-wing three with four minutes to play.
An Emma Coolidge top-of-the-key jump shot closed a five-point quarter for Juniata to get back within a point at 14-13. In the final two minutes, Moravian went to the line twice, converting three of four free throws to hold a four-point break through the first 20 minutes.
After a Moravian layup to open the half, the Eagles pushed again toward the lead via a Bodtorf driving left-wing layup via a cross-court Berg pass and a Miller three-pointer, getting Juniata within a point.
A layup off a rebound for Moravian was followed by an Emert shot from outside the arc to level the game at 21-21 through four minutes. Moravian's next possession saw them draw a foul on a layup followed by a converted foul shot, while Juniata swiftly responded with another game-tying three from Bodtorf.
Following two Greyhounds free throws, the Eagles took a brief two-point lead on a long-range pass from Dani Scipioni to an open Sherman waiting under the rim, followed by a Bodtorf steal and square pass to Betts driving into the key for a layup.
From there, the Greyhounds went on a brief 7-1 run capped by a top-of-arc three for a 33-29 lead. Two Sciponi free throws were followed by a left-wing Betts three, again getting Juniata ahead by a point.
A driving Moravian layup gave them the advantage for just a couple of possessions, as Emily McCann stole an errant pass off a Greyhounds rebound and fired towards an open Sciponi on the right wing for a buzzer-beating three, putting Juniata in the lead 37-35 with a quarter to play.
The Greyhounds returned and stalled the Eagles' momentum with a pair of layups and 4-of-6 converted free throws for an 8-0 run in the first five minutes.
Juniata would get back within four points on a couple of occasions thanks to two Sherman layups and a layup each from Miller and Bodtorf, but Moravian ultimately maintained the gap, holding a five-point cushion with ten seconds on the clock. Sherman drove from the arc for a layup on Juniata's final drive, and they were unable to turn the ball back over for a last-gasp leveler in the last three seconds.
Each team ended the contest with a season-high 29 turnovers, while Juniata conceded 28 foul shots to Moravian.
Juniata will face Goucher at Memorial Gym on Saturday at 4:00 pm.
