By: Jennifer Jones
Director of Sports Information
jonesj@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The Juniata College women's basketball team picked up its first Landmark Conference win of the season Wednesday night in an 82-46 rout of Goucher College in the Kennedy Sports+Recreation Center. Juniata (8-8, 1-3 Landmark) remains undefeated against the Gophers, leading the all-time series 13-0. Goucher dropped to 5-10 overall, 1-4 in Landmark play.
"We needed a breakout game and this is definitely what we needed," said head coach Danny Young-Uhrich. "I'm hoping that a win tonight just propels and keeps us moving forward."
With just 17 minutes on the court, sophomore Paige Dennison (East Berlin, Pa./Bermudian Springs) scored a team-high 20 points, going 9-for-11 from the floor with a season-best .818 shooting percentage. Four other Eagles notched double-figure points. Junior Kelsey Livoti(Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) picked up 14 points, while senior Kate McDonald (Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa./State College) and freshman Olivia Halfpenny (McVeytown, Pa./Mifflin County) earned 12 each. And freshman Sarah Sherman (Lansdale, Pa./Methacton) finished with 10 points respectively.
The Eagles bench put up a season-best 32 points in the win as the team shot 55 percent from the floor. Juniata battled inside the key, outrebounding the Gophers 40-29 and dropping 30 points in the paint.
"I feel like what we were able to do today gave us a little bit of confidence," said Young-Uhrich of the complete team effort. "Hopefully our players know they are capable of doing these things, performing well."
A jumper by McDonald three seconds into the contest set the tone. The Gophers tied the game up at 2-2 and Juniata put their foot on the gas. They went on a 29-7 run to take the lead (31-11) with 9:33 left in the first half. They went into the break up 43-19 having shot 58 percent from the floor.
After trading baskets until deep in the second half, Juniata began to pull further away, going on a 21-10 run. They would lead by as many as 37 before earning the win.
The Eagles hit the road for the next game. They head out to Kings Point to face the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on Saturday, Jan. 25 in a doubleheader with the men. Juniata leads the all-time series 11-1. The lone loss was in a tough road battle last year where the Eagles fell 73-70. The men tipoff at 2 p.m. with the women following at 4 p.m.
"It's no cake walk up at Merchant Marine," noted Young-Uhrich. "It's a very long road trip. Last year we had external factors and we just tanked up there. So I'm hoping that was a lesson learned by our upperclassmen and that they can just trickle that message down to our younger kids."
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