Courtesy of Juniata College Athletics

BALTIMORE, Md.- The Juniata women’s basketball team led for all but a few minutes as they won at Goucher College, 59-53, Saturday afternoon at the Decker Sports & Recreation Center.

Bri Bodtorf scored the first points of the game for the Eagles with a foul shot, but the Gophers led 5-1 in the opening three minutes. Two free throws from Haily Sherman and a three from Emily McCann off a Bodtorf assist put the Eagles up 6-5. Dani Scipioni set up Sherman for another three to put the Eagles up four. The Gophers retook the lead in the final seconds of the first quarter, but Olivia Berg split two free throws to send JC into the second quarter tied at 10.

Sherman started the second with another three, and Kynnedy Miller scored inside on the next possession to put the Eagles up five early. It was a low-scoring quarter as Juniata held the Gophers to four points. Steph Emert scored in transition following a steal from Sarah Betts, and a Miller free throw was the final point of the half as Juniata led 19-14 at the break.

Both teams found success on the offensive end in the third quarter as the teams traded buckets in the opening few minutes. The Gophers pulled even at 21 before layups from Emert and Emma Coolidge put the Eagles back ahead. Goucher responded with a three, Emert scored on a tough drive from the wing while being fouled, and her free throw made it 28-24 with just under five to go in the third. Goucher momentarily took the lead, 29-28, on a putback, but Miller drilled a three from the wing to give JC the lead back. Goucher continued to match JC bucket for bucket as Emily McCann swished a high-arcing shot with a toe on the line, and the Gophers made a layup. Emert had the final say in the quarter as she converted another three-point play the old-fashioned way to send the Eagles into the fourth quarter up by three, 36-33.

The Gophers continued to nip at the Eagle’s heels, and a pair of foul shots had them back within one, 40-39. McCann found the bottom of the net on another triple, Goucher split a pair of free throws, and Sarah Betts made a jumper following an Emert offensive rebound as JC led by five. Coolidge scored on back-to-back trips, first on a jumper that hit every part of the rim before falling and next on a layup as the Eagle lead jumped to nine with four and half minutes to play. Goucher would get within three twice, but McCann scored six of the final nine Eagle points to ice the game for Juniata.

McCann had a career-high 17 points while shooting 6-8 from the field, and Emert tallied 15 points, seven rebounds, and three steals.

The Eagles return home to host Susquehanna Wednesday at 7:00.

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