LEXINGTON, KY. – The senior-sophomore duo of forward Erynn Meiklejohn (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and guard Justine Kruger (Francisville, Ind.) guided Manchester University on the scoreboard Saturday, Jan. 11.
Meiklejohn scored 17 points, blocked two Transylvania University shot attempts and grabbed five rebounds. Kruger added 13 points and four steals as part of a hard-fought 75-63 loss at the hands of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference-leading Pioneers.
MU (7-5 overall, 4-2 HCAC) gave the home side a stern test throughout, leading twice in the opening 10 minutes before TU went on a 22-12 stretch for a 42-32 halftime lead. The Black and Gold came out of the gate quickly to begin the second 20 minutes, whittling the lead to three (43-40). They kept themselves within arm's reach all the way all the way down to the final six minutes, trailing by only five (58-53) with 5:50 left before a quick 9-2 run from the Pioneers gave them enough cushion to earn the win.
Junior guard Jocelyn Hamilton (Columbus, Ind.) and junior center Alyssa Hammond (Osgood, Ind.) ended just out of double figures in scoring with eight points apiece. Hamilton continued her strong guard play with eight assists, reeling off her 12th straight multiple-assist contest, while Hammond pulled down eight rebounds.
The Spartans resume HCAC action Wednesday, Jan. 15. They travel to Anderson University for a 7:30 p.m. start.
NOTES: Kruger compiled her second straight and career double-figure game … Meiklejohn moved her season scoring average back over 12 for the year (12.1), as her effort moved the mark up five-tenths … For the ninth time this year, Hammond totaled five-or-more rebounds.