HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata women's basketball team hung on to beat visiting Elizabethtown, 80-75, Wednesday evening in the final basketball game of the season inside Memorial Gymnasium.
It was a fast and furious first quarter, with Madison Colyer (Newville, Pa. / Big Spring) providing the first four points for the Eagles on two jump shots and Larissa Leonard (Three Springs, Pa. / Southern Huntingdon) made her first of three three-pointers in to make it 7-4 early. The teams continued to trade buckets, with Gracie Stauffer (Loysville, Pa. / West Perry) scoring rolling to the rim off a pass from Cassie Mock (Martinsburg, Pa. / Central Martinsburg) and Averie Hess (Jersey Shore, Pa. / Jersey Shore) converted a jumper off a pass from Cassidy Arnold (York, Pa. / Eastern York HS) which made it 11-11. On the next two trips down the floor, Leonard drilled a three from the left corner and after an Arnold steal, from the right corner to force an Etown timeout.
Eagles open up the first quarter against Etown with the lead after a Cassidy Arnold steal and Larissa Leonard 3-pt! #wingsup pic.twitter.com/wQFdc0EAeR
— Juniata Athletics (@JuniataEagles) February 20, 2020
The Blue Jays wound up taking the lead in the final minute before a Mock jumper off a pass from Grace Long (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin) knotted things at 21 at the end of the quarter.
The teams traded points early before Elizabethtown managed to push ahead by as many as seven. A Taylor Vrabel (Chambersburg, Pa. / Chambersburg) layup pulled the Eagles back within five, but four straight from Etown but JC in an eight-point hole in the final minute and a half. In the last 10 seconds, Colyer grabbed an offensive rebound and laid it in to send Juniata into the locker room down six at the half.
Juniata put together a massive 26-point third quarter, which saw them outscore the Blue Jays by ten and assist nine of their 11 buckets. Stauffer led the way with 10 points in the third while Mock drilled two threes. Leonard had five assists in the quarter while Long had three. The Eagles led by four after three.
Elizabethtown pulled even, 61-61, two minutes into the final period before an Arnold putback and Colyer layup on the left side pushed the lead back to four. Elizabethtown scored on a layup before Stauffer scored on back to back layups with the second one an and-one to make it 70-63 with four and half minutes to go. Etown was within one with just under three minutes remaining, but couldn't catch the Eagles.
Stauffer split a pair of foul shots with 53 seconds on the clock to make it 77-75, and Elizabethtown went down but missed a layup on the other end. Juniata turned the ball over, Elizabethtown called timeout but missed another layup. The Eagles got fouled but missed both free throws, the Blue Jays raced down and missed another layup. Long got fouled, split the free throws, and with the Blue Jays out of timeouts, they had to hurry. Leonard stepped in front of a cross-court pass and took the other way for a layup to ice the game.
A last minute steal and layup by Larissa Leonard seals the Eagles conference win over Etown! #wingsup #d3hoops #LandmarkWBB pic.twitter.com/CZTuR8RHSg
— Juniata Athletics (@JuniataEagles) February 20, 2020
Juniata shot 52.4% from the floor to Etown's 42.0%, and the Eagles made eight three's (8-20) to the Blue Jays three (3-14).
JC will wrap up their season on the road at Susquehanna, Saturday at 4:00.
