Eagles Drops 70-64 Decision at No. 13 Catholic

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Juniata women's basketball team ran out of steam against No. 13 Catholic University Wednesday night as the Eagles dropped their second Landmark Conference game of the season 70-64.  Juniata (10-4, 1-2 Landmark) finished with 22 assists and nine steals.  Catholic remained undefeated (14-0, 3-0 Landmark) with the win.

Senior Jordan Speck (Huntingdon, Pa./Southern Huntingdon) and junior Kate McDonald (Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa./State College Area) tied for the game-high of 17 points.  Speck hit five three's and finished with a team-high six rebounds.  McDonald went 8-for-12 from the floor and had a team-high five assists.

Sophomore Kelsey Livoti (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) rounded out the Eagles in double-digits.  She finished with 13 points and tied Speck with a team-high six rebounds.

A three pointer by Livoti with five seconds on the clock gave Juniata the one point lead (33-32) heading into the break.

They would battle back and forth with the Cardinal in the second half before taking the lead (52-50) with 8:51 on the clock.  Catholic tied the game up for a sixth and final time 40 seconds later on a jumper by Kelli Josephsen and went on a 10-point run to push ahead with 3:55 remaining.  The Eagles would not get closer than six points down the stretch despite holding the Cardinal to zero field goals over the final two minutes.

Catholic was led by Emily Grabiak who tied Speck and McDonald for the game-high of 17 points.  Josephsen was one of two Cardinal with a double-double.  She finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Juniata stays on the road for its next matchup.  The Eagles take on Drew University in a double-header with the men this Saturday, Jan. 12.  The women play at 2 p.m. with the men following at 4 p.m.  Juniata is 9-1 all-time against the Rangers since the programs began competing in 1976.  Their only loss came in a 65-60 overtime decision back on Jan. 17, 2009.

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