Juniata WBB forces overtime before falling to Scranton

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Juniata College caught up with the University of Scranton just long enough to force overtime, but ended up dropping a 71-66 decision to the Royals in Landmark Conference women's basketball action Saturday in Huntingdon, Pa.

Jen Hnatuck's (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity) layup with barely seven seconds remaining in regulation capped a brilliant comeback by the Eagles, who had trailed since the 12-minute mark of the first half.

Juniata (8-6, 1-2) had trailed by as many as seven points, 49-42, with 9:31 remaining, when the Eagles began progressively narrow the Royal lead. A 7-0 run, capped by a Court Callas (Sarver, Pa./Freeport) layup, cut the margin to one-point with 5:49 to play in regulation.

Scranton (8-5, 2-1) stretched its lead to four points on two more occasions, only to see it knocked back down to two points on buckets by Callas and Kelly Ashcraft (Bellefonte, Pa./State College). Two lead changes and two ties marked the final two minutes, before Hnatuck's layup forced the extra session.

In overtime, Scranton's Marisa Healy quickly gave the Royals a one-point lead by hitting the back-end of two free throws, but Juniata retook the lead, 62-61, on a Hnatuck jumper.

Hnatuck's jumper would be Juniata's last bucket until Kelly Rotan made a layup with 16 seconds to play. In between, Juniata went 0-for-5 from the field, while Scranton went on a 6-0 run to take a 67-62 lead by the 1:59 mark of the OT period.

Scranton was just 4-of-8 at the free-throw line in the final minute of overtime, but it was enough to keep a two possession lead for the remainder of the game.

Hnatuck posted a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Ashcraft finished with a team-high 20 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the floor. Scranton had three players score in double figures, led by Megan Kopecki with 21 points.

Juniata will return to action on Friday, Jan. 18, when it hosts the United States Merchant Marine Academy at 5:30 p.m. in Huntingdon.

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