Eagles Pull Away in the Fourth at Goucher

TOWSON, Md.- The Juniata women's basketball team grabbed their first conference win as they took down Goucher, 86-64, Wednesday evening. 

Madison Colyer (Newville, Pa. / Big Spring) converted a jumper off a pass from Larissa Leonard (Three Springs, Pa. / Southern Huntingdon) and Cassie Mock (Martinsburg, Pa. / Central Martinsburg) drilled a three of a pass from Grace Long (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin) as Juniata jumped ahead quick. Jumpers from Cassidy Arnold (York, Pa. / Eastern York HS) and Gracie Stauffer (Loysville, Pa. / West Perry) were following by a three from a Long triple as the Eagles led 12-0 two minutes in.  

Gophers got on the board with a three, and two foul shots brought them within seven. The teams traded buckets, with a Leonard three, an Abigail E'nama (Lewes, Del. / Cape Henlopen HS) off a Mock assist and a Colyer layup off a Arnold assist pushing the lead back to 10.  

A Mock three with just over a minute to go made it 27-14, but Goucher scored the final bucket off the quarter as Juniata led by 11, 27-16. 

Goucher slowly chipped away at the lead, and with a little over five minutes to play in the half, they led 31-25. An and-one layup from Long pushed the lead back to nine. The Gophers got back within five again, and the teams traded buckets down the stretch of the first half.  

Juniata managed to increase their lead a bit, with two Colyer free throws pushing the lead back to nine in the final 30 seconds. Goucher answered with two of their own as JC led by seven heading into the locker room. 

Goucher was hanging close early, with a three slicing the lead to three. E'nama scored inside off a pass from Mock; the Gophers made a foul shot, and E'Nama scored inside again to make it 47-41. 

The Eagles extended their lead back to 12 in the final minute, before to Gopher free throws cut it 10. Megan Haines (Bloomsburg, Pa. / Bloomsburg) nailed a jumper off a Leonard pass with six seconds showing on the clock. Goucher was fouled with two seconds to go in the third. They made the first, missed the second, but made a three at the buzzer to cut the JC lead to eight heading into the final period. 

Juniata went on a 16-6 run in the first five minutes of the fourth and never looked back as they won the quarter 29-15 to earn the win. 

The Eagles shot 50.0% from the floor and held Goucher to 29.4% shooting as the Eagles led the entire game. JC scored 50 points in the paint to 22 for Gophers, held a 20-7 edge in second-chance points, and outrebounded Goucher 54-23. 

Juniata will take on Scranton, Saturday at 4:00.