Eagles Fall to Greyhounds in Home Finale
HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata women's basketball wrapped up the regular season home slate with a 75-51 defeat to Moravian Saturday afternoon.
Haily Sherman led the scoring for Juniata with 17 points, going 8-for-13 from the field with a team-high three blocks. Steph Emert followed with 11, including a trio of three-pointers. Off the bench, Emily McCann had a team-best seven points, while she led the team overall with six rebounds. Emelie Nonemaker led the team in steals with two.
The Eagles overcame an early six-point deficit in the first quarter to take a 15-12 lead into the first break. A three, a jumper, and a free throw put the Greyhounds up 6-2 through two minutes, followed by a Bri Bodtorf jump shot and Emert layup for a level scoreline at six. Moravian struck back with a jumper on the next possession, followed by Sarah Betts finding McCann at center court for a three to give the Eagles a 9-8 lead.
Moravian gained the lead back by going 2-for-2 on free throws, followed by another Juniata three; this time, it came from Sherman, who was open in the left corner. Coolidge followed by sinking both of two free throws, proceeded by two Moravian free throws, putting Juniata ahead 14-12. A Miller free throw gave Juniata a 15-12 edge at the first break.
A seven-point run to open the second quarter put the Greyhounds back ahead 19-15. A Bodtorf foul draw broke the run for Moravian, who picked up two-of-two on the next possession. Coolidge drove to the edge of the paint for a short-range jumper to get back within three at 21-18. The sides traded points on the next two possessions, then Moravian earned a foul on a layup, finishing the and-one to go ahead 26-20. The Eagles called timeout at this point with five minutes remaining in the half, but Moravian returned from the break on a tear. They outscored Juniata 8-3 the rest of the way to carry a 34-23 lead into the halftime break.
The Greyhounds built a comfortable gap in the third quarter, outscoring Juniata 24-9 and shooting a game-best 64.3% from the field. A seven-point run in the first three minutes built their lead to 41-23 before Sherman broke the run with a layup via an Olivia Berg pass. Moravian followed this with a 14-point run that gave them a thirty-point plus margin at the quarter break.
The Eagles returned in the fourth quarter outscoring Moravian 19-17 and shooting a match-best 40.0% on field goals and 37.5% on threes, with Emert firing all three of her three-pointers in the fourth quarter. By the end of the third, Juniata narrowed the gap to a 75-51 final score.
On the day, the Greyhounds shot 42.9% from the field against 30.9% for Juniata. The Greyhounds had 12 blocked shots, their season high.
The Eagles return to play Wednesday against Catholic in Washington, D.C. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm.