HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The University of Scranton women's basketball team overcame a four-point deficit with less than a minute to play in overtime, but could not pull out the victory in overtime, losing to Juniata College, 65-61, at the Kennedy Sports & Recreation Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Lady Royals (10-4, 2-1 Landmark) scored the first two points of overtime, but then went cold as Juniata (10-3, 1-1 Landmark) scored the final six points, all from the free throw line.

Scranton was led by sophomore forward Meredith Mesaris (Fairfax, Va./Fairfax), who scored 17 points. Senior forward Erin Boggan (Danbury, Conn./Danbury) had 15 points and seven rebounds, and junior guard Alison Sweeney (Wall, N.J./St. Rose) added 10 points and seven rebounds.

After the Lady Royals took an early eight-point lead, Juniata surged ahead and maintained a three-point advantage at halftime. But Scranton used a 5-0 spurt early in the second half to take a 35-33 lead on a layup by senior guard Katherine Torto (Binghamton, N.Y./Seton Catholic Central) with 14:18 to play.

Neither team led by more than four the rest of the way, and when the Eagles went on an 8-2 run late, they held a 59-55 lead with 56 seconds to play. But the Royals got a pair of free throws from senior guard Christina Hiltunen (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) with 40 seconds to play, then forced a Juniata miss on the defensive end.

Boggan came up with the rebound and was fouled, sinking the ensuing free throws to knot the score at 59 with six seconds to play. The Lady Royals then forced a turnover and had possession with four seconds to play, but a shot to win at the buzzer was no good.

Sweeney's jumper just over a minute into overtime gave Scranton a 61-59 lead, but the Lady Royals went 0-for-3 from the field and committed three turnovers the rest of the way.

Scranton shot 38 percent (19-for-50), including 5-for-23 from 3-point range. The Lady Royals made 18 of 24 free throws, but committed 22 turnovers, including 12 in the first half. Scranton also held a slim 32-31 advantage in rebounding. Sophomore guard Lindsay Fluehr (Bensalem, Pa./Nazareth Academy) contributed seven assists and five rebounds in the defeat.

Juniata was led by senior guard Natalie Glinsky (Indiana, Pa./Indiana), who scored a game-high 18 points, and junior guard Jordan Hileman (Williamsburg, Pa./Williamsburg) added 15 points. The Eagles shot just 33.3 percent (20-for-60), including 6-for-24 from 3-point range. They made 19 of 21 free throws while committing 16 turnovers.

Scranton returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 12, when it hosts Landmark Conference foe Goucher at 2 p.m. in the Long Center. 

--LADY ROYALS--