Warriors Hold Off Eagles

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.- The Juniata women's basketball team lost a tightly contested Landmark Conference game on the road at Lycoming, 56-51, Wednesday evening.  

Kynnedy Miller had 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals, and Laney Gerdich had her first career double-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds, a steal, and a block. Hailey Sherman totaled seven points, three rebounds, an assist, and five steals. Bri Bodtorf tallied seven points, seven rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block, while Steph Emert added nine points, five rebounds, an assist, and three steals off the bench.  

Bodtorf drove to the left and lobbed it up to Gerdich, who was cutting to the right side of the hoop, and she laid it in off the glass to open the scoring. After a stop, Olivia Berg swished a three from near the top of the key to increase the Eagle's advantage. A Sherman jumper and a pair of Bodtorf free throws helped Juniata keep the lead, 9-5, in the middle stages of the quarter. Deja Gillo found Sherman for a layup in the final seconds, but the Warriors had the final points of the quarter on two foul shots as Juniata led by four after one, 13-9. 

The Eagles led through most of the third, with a Miller triple pushing the lead back to four, 21-17, in the final four minutes. The Warriors scored the final six points of the half as they took a two-point lead into the locker room, 23-21. 

Lycoming had their biggest offensive quarter in the third as they totaled 19 points and put the Eagles in a 12-point hole. Emert's four-point spurt in the final minute, with two foul shots and a jumper at the buzzer after a steal, brought JC within eight, 42-34, heading into the final quarter. 

Juniata continued to battle, with another Emert jumper and a Miller foul shot brought the Eagles back within four, 45-41. Juniata got back within four several times, and a Miller foul shot cut the deficit to three in the final 14 seconds, but Lycoming made their foul shots in the final seconds to take the game, 56-51. 

Juniata will host #4 University of Scranton on Saturday at 4:00. 

Rankings via WBCA - November 28th