Cardinals Deny Eagles in Final Seconds

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The Juniata women's basketball team had a look in the final seconds to try and get the win to complete their second-half comeback, but it was blocked as Catholic held on to win, 69-68, Tuesday evening at Franny Murray Court. 

A Gracie Stauffer (Loysville, Pa. / West Perry) offensive rebound wound up with Averie Hess (Jersey Shore, Pa. / Jersey Shore), who kicked it to Madison Colyer (Newville, Pa. / Big Spring) for a jump shot, which opened the scoring. Kynnedy Miller Huntingdon, Pa. / Huntingdon Area HS) found Hess for a jumper to make it 4-2, but a Cardinal layup knotted things at four, four minutes into the game. The hosts rattled off five points before a Colyer three off a pass from Grace Long (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin). Long scored the final seven points of the quarter for the Eagles, but the Cardinals led 20-14 after one. 

Juniata got within four midway in the second quarter with a Stauffer layup off a Hess assist, 26-22, but Catholic closed the half on a 15-1 before Cassie Mock (Martinsburg, Pa. / Central Martinsburg) drilled a triple in the final seconds to narrow the deficit to 12, 41-29. 

Scores from Hess and Stauffer followed by a Long three after she got an offensive rebound brought JC within five, 41-36, two minutes into the half. Stauffer blocked her third shot of the game, which tied her with Sue Grubb '88 for blocks in a career at Juniata with 182.  

The Cardinals expanded the lead back to eight, but the Eagles kept coming. Stauffer's and-one layup plus the foul shot tied the score at 49-49.  The hosts split a pair of free throws, stole the ball, and scored on the break to go up three. Taylor Vrabel's (Chambersburg, Pa. / Chambersburg) layup made it 52-51 heading into the final frame. Juniata outscored Catholic 22-11 in the quarter. 

The Cardinals jumped ahead with an 8-0 surge in the first minute and a half of the quarter. 

Stauffer blocked her fourth shot of the contest during the run, which made her the all-time career block record holder with 183.  

Catholic led by eight with a little under four minutes to go in the contest, but a jumper from Hess and a putback by Stauffer narrowed the deficit to four with a minute and 42 seconds to go. Juniata was inbounding the ball under the hoop with one second on the shot clock, Mock tossed it to Colyer, who caught it running towards the baseline, caught and fired in one motion, and the ball hit nothing but the bottom of the net to bring Juniata within two with 40 seconds remaining.  

Catholic called timeout, and coming out of the timeout, got a look at a three from the left-wing that was short. Every Catholic player was below the foul line, so when the rebound came to Hess above the free-throw line, she was off to the races. A Catholic player tracked her down and grabbed the back of her jersey so they were called for an intentional foul. Long stepped forward to take the foul shots and went one for two to bring the Eagles within one. Juniata got the ball, and an errant passed was first ruled out on JC but was reversed, so the Eagles got another look. Juniata called timeout and ran a smooth inbounds play to get Colyer free of her defender just outside the paint on the right side. She took one dribble and elevated for a short jumper, which swished through the net to put Juniata up one with 10.8 seconds to go. Following a Cardinal timeout, the host's inbounded into the near corner, and Colyer nearly stole it. But Catholic managed to keep the ball, getting the ball back to the inbounder on the left-wing. She drove, pulling Stauffer from her woman, and the ballhandler slid a bounce pass narrowly past Stauffer's outstretched hand, and the other woman laid it in to give Catholic the lead back 69-68 with six seconds showing on the scoreboard. Mock got the ball at the top of the key and drove left, but the Cardinal defense swarmed her and blocked her running left-hand layup to seal their victory. 

Juniata held a 50-38 edge on the glass and a 22-18 advantage in second-chance points, but the Cardinals scored 28 points off 22 Juniata turnovers. 

Juniata will travel to New Jersey to play Drew, Friday at 7:00.