Women’s basketball drops season opener to Gwynedd Mercy

GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa. – Gwynedd Mercy College hit a few more shots and a lot more free throws on its way to an 85-58 upending of Juniata College, in the women's basketball season opener for both squads on Saturday afternoon in Gwynedd Valley, Pa. 

Senior Kelly Ashcraft (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte) led the Eagles with 14 points and 11 rebounds, scoring her points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field while going a perfect 6-of-6 at the free-throw line. Sophomore Jen Hnatuck (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity) and newcomers Brittany Ryder (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Catholic) and Jenny Cunningham (McVeytown, Pa./Lewistown) all added eight points. 

Claudia McDowell (Alexandria, Pa./Juniata Valley) dished out four assists, while Hnatuck logged three blocks. 

Kristy Cramp led the Griffins with 25 points on a 8-of-11 shooting effort from the field. Lauren Rosar posted a double-double for Gwynedd-Mercy with 11 points and 10 boards. The Griffins shot 42.6% from the field (28-66), including an 8-of-16 clip from beyond the arc.

The Griffins (1-0) had a double-digit lead by 13:16 mark of the opening frame, after Cramp's layup put the score at 15-4. The margin ducked in-and-out of double-figures the rest of the half, and Juniata went into the locker room at halftime trailing 38-26. 

Juniata (0-1) opened the second half with a three-pointer by McDowell, cutting the margin to 38-29. However Gwynedd-Mercy answered with a 12-0 run, stretching its lead to 50-29, and effectively controlled the game from there. 

The Eagles return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 18, when they travel to Chester, Pa., to face Widener University.

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