Eagles Cruise Past Gophers

HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata women's basketball team moved to 4-1 in the conference after their 67-53 win over visiting Goucher, Wednesday evening in Memorial Gymnasium. 

The teams felt each other out over the opening two minutes until Madison Colyer (Newville, Pa. / Big Spring) took an inbounds pass from Cassie Mock (Martinsburg, Pa. / Central Martinsburg) on the left wing and drilled a jumper. On the next offensive possession, Grace Long (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin) had the ball behind the three-point line. No defender step towards her so she rose and drilled a triple to make it 5-0 JC early. Goucher didn't score until there were four minutes left in the game via a free throw. Gracie Stauffer (Loysville, Pa. / West Perry) hit Long cutting to the basket along the left baseline. Her layup rolled around the rim before falling in and on the next trip down the floor Stauffer  scored on a put back as the Eagles led 9-3 after the first period. 

Mock led Taylor Vrabel (Chambersburg, Pa. / Chambersburg) with a nice lob pass and she laid it in off the glass. Nice ball movement led to Mock swinging the ball to Kaeana Rebert (Hanover, Pa. / South Western) in the left corner who swished a three to make it 14-3. Jamie Mahigel (Lewistown, Pa. / Mifflin County) tossed it to Megan Haines (Bloomsburg, Pa. / Bloomsburg) on the right wing for another triple. A Stauffer layup and a Larissa Leonard (Three Springs, Pa. / Southern Huntingdon) pullup jumper made it 19-5 with six minutes to go in the half. The Gophers got within 10 with a little over a minute to go before Kymiah Carpenter (Baltimore, Md. / Gerstell Academy) sunk a three off a pass from Averie Hess (Jersey Shore, Pa. / Jersey Shore). Goucher stole the ball and laid it on the other end to end the half as the Eagles led 31-20.  

Juniata outscored the visitors by only three, 36-33, in the second half but cruised in the second half as they led by as many as 20 for stretches on their way to a 67-53 win. 

Every player scored for the Eagles, with five different players converting three-pointers as the team shot 50.0% from behind the line. 

The Eagles will return to action Saturday at 2:00 against conference foe #3 ranked Scranton.