Juniata WBB downs Catholic for fourth straight win

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Juniata College rained three-pointers on Landmark Conference-rival Catholic University, shooting 9-of-20 from beyond the arc and pulling past the Cardinals for a 64-57 victory, in women's basketball action Sunday afternoon in Washington, D.C.

The win was Juniata's fourth in a row, its longest winning streak since opening the 2006-07 season with a 4-0 mark.

Neither squad shot the ball well in the first half, and the score was still only 9-6 at the 10:00 mark of the opening frame. The Eagles (12-6, 5-2 Landmark) went into the locker room trailing 22-20 at the intermission, after Catholic's Christina Rogers hit a three-pointer with 28 seconds until the break.

Juniata opened the second half with back-to-back treys by Jill Walsh (Johnstown, Pa./Ferndale), followed-up with another three from Ali Meckey (Ebensburg, Pa./Bishop Carroll), gaving the Eagles a narrow lead, 29-24, with 17:36 remaining.

The Eagles would give up their lead only briefly, with 4:00 remaining in the game, when the Cardinals' Kerri Confrey drained a three pointer to tie the game at 50-50. Neither squad was able to score over the next minute, and Juniata was finally able to regain the lead on a Meckey trey with 2:57 to play.

Another minute-and-a-half scoring drought ensued, before Jen Hnatuck (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity) padded the Juniata lead with a pair of free throws with 1:21 remaining, giving the Eagles a 55-50 advantage.

Catholic (7-10, 2-5 Landmark) resorted to fouling in an effort to catch the Eagles, but Juniata went 7-of-8 at the free-throw line in the final minute to preserve the win.

Four Eagles scored in double figures, led by Kelly Ashcraft (Bellefonte, Pa./State College) with 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Walsh finished with 13 points, while Meckey and Hnatuck added 12 and 10 points each. Meckey also had five assists, while Ashcraft tallied three assists.

Brianna Peterson paced Catholic offensively with 16 points and eight boards, while Confrey finished with 10 points.

Juniata will return to the road next weekend, when it travels to Scranton, Pa., to face the University of Scranton on Friday, Feb. 1, at 7:00 p.m.

-30-