Notes from the Nest: A Weekly Roundup of Juniata College Athletics

By: Jennifer Jones
Director of Sports Information
jonesj@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Happy New Year Eagle fans.  Only the men and women's basketball teams competed over the holiday.  This week's Notes from the Nest recaps the holiday tournaments they participated in.

Men's Basketball
The Juniata College men's basketball team welcomed Valley Forge Christian, Case Western Reserve and Johns Hopkins to the Kennedy Sports+Recreation Center for its annual holiday tournament.  Juniata opened the tournament against Valley Forge Christian on Friday night and cruised to a 94-48 win.  Five Eagles finished in double-figure points led by senior Jeremy Hays (McMechen, W. Va./John Marshall) who had 13 at the end of the first half.  Sophomore Kyle Koehler (Chester Springs, Pa./Devon Prep) put in valuable minutes off the bench, dropping 10 points of his own as the Eagles shot over 55 percent as a team.

They followed their dominant performance with a 74-64 win over Case Western on Saturday to earn the Holiday Tournament title.  Hays tied a career-high with 28 points in the championship game and was named the tournament most valuable player.  Fellow senior Lucas Mellott (Warfordsburg, Pa./Southern Fulton) also earned a spot on the all-tournament team after finishing the weekend with 25 points and nine rebounds.

Juniata (10-2) hits the road to reopen the Landmark Conference season next Saturday at The University of Scranton.  The Eagles return home Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. for a rematch of the 2013 Landmark finals against Catholic University of America.

Women's Basketball
The Juniata College women's basketball team started the week by hosting the 2013 Comfort Inn Holiday Tournament.  It featured DeSales University, Muskingum University and St. Vincent College.  Juniata opened the tournament on Sunday against Muskingum and fell 74-70 in the final minutes of play.  In day two of the tournament, the Eagles fought back from 16 points down but could not pass St. Vincent College and dropped a nail biter 81-78.  For her performance, senior Kate McDonald (Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa./State College Area) was named to the all-tournament team.

The Eagles then traveled to Manhattan for the New York University Holiday Classic where they faced off against Cabrini College, who is receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll, Friday afternoon.  Juniata trailed by as many as 30 points in the second half before fighting back with a 22-6 run.  But they would run out of time down the stretch and dropped the game 68-54.  The Eagles bounced back in day two with a 73-63 win over Oswego State.  Sophomore Paige Dennison (East Berlin, Pa./Bermudian Springs) finished with a game-high 23 points, just one off of her career-high mark.

Juniata (6-5) remains on the road facing Wilkes University Monday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m.  They will not return home until Saturday, Jan. 18 against Drew University.

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