Blue Jays Use Big Third Quarter to Soar Past Eagles

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa.- A big third quarter by Elizabethtown doomed the Juniata women's basketball team as they lost, 67-52, Wednesday evening at Thompson Gymnasium. 

Grace Long (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin) scored on an offensive rebound to open the scoring and Cassie Mock (Martinsburg, Pa. / Central Martinsburg) swished a jumper following a steal by Larissa Leonard (Three Springs, Pa. / Southern Huntingdon). Gracie Stauffer (Loysville, Pa. / West Perry) on an offensive rebound as well as the Eagles led 6-0 three minutes in. The Blue Jays got going over the next several minutes, taking the lead 10-7 with a little over five minutes to go in the first. Long nailed a jumper, Elizabethtown scored on back to back possessions and Kymiah Carpenter (Baltimore, Md. / Gerstell Academy) made a layup as Juniata trailed by three with under two minutes showing on the clock. Long drilled a three in the final 33 seconds as the teams were tied at the end of one. 

Elizabethtown opened the second quarter on a 9-0 run over the first three minutes before Long found Stauffer under the hoop to bring JC within seven. 

The Blue Jays kept Juniata at arm's length for most of the quarter as the Eagles couldn't get closer than five until the final minutes. Stauffer scored on an offensive rebound with a minute and a half to go. Cassidy Arnold (York, Pa. / Eastern York HS) scored on a putback of her own, Etown made a jumper and Long followed with one of her own with 23 seconds to go in the half to get JC back within three. But Elizabethtown pushed the lead back to five as they scored at the buzzer on a layup.  

The Blue Jays took control in the third as they led by as many as 19 at one point and Juniata couldn't recover as they never got the deficit back to single digits the rest of the game. 

The Eagles had a 47-37 edge on the glass but Etown shot better from the field, 40.6% to 33.8%.  

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