SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Junior captain Erin McQuillen's (Cresskill, N.J./Cresskill) third 20-point game of the season helps to lift the Susquehanna University women's basketball team to a split of the season series with Elizabethtown College Saturday afternoon. Susquehanna (13-8, 5-5 LC) outscored the Blues Jays (10-10, 6-4 LC), 26-17, in the final period to earn an 81-73 Landmark Conference win.
 
The River Hawks remain in a two-way tie for fifth in the Landmark standings with Drew University following today's hard-fought come-from-behind win.
 
Susquehanna 81, Elizabethtown 73
 
How It Happened
First Period

• Elizabethtown opened up a 10-4 lead behind seven points from Lydia Lawson.
• The River Hawks responded with an 8-3 push in less than three minutes to close the gap to 13-12 at 2:59.
• The Blue Jays answered back by outscoring SU, 8-5, over the final minutes of the first period to stake a 21-17 lead as Lawson scored nine points in 10 minutes on 4-of-7 shooting.
• Etown benefitted from seven points off of six River Hawk miscues.

 
Second Period

• Back-to-back three-pointers allowed Susquehanna to tie the game at 23-23 while jumpers by junior guard Alexa Petrozzino (East Hanover, N.J./Hanover Park) and McQuillen gave the River Hawks a 27-23 lead at 7:00.
• Four points by Lawson fueled a 9-2 run and put the Blue Jays back on top, 32-29, with 3:02 left in the half.
• Over the next three minutes, the two sides struggled to score with Susquehanna going 0-of-5 while the Blue Jays missed their last two shots and turned the ball over twice.
• Sophomore forward Olivia Brandt (Bethlehem, Pa./Notre Dame) ended the drought for the River Hawks as the horn sounded following a steal by junior guard Nevin Hoenninger (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg).

 
Halftime

• Lawson led all players at the break with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting while McQuillen finished with eight first-half points to pace the home team.
• Both teams shot above 40.0-percent with Susquehanna clocking in at 43.8-percent while each side drained three three-pointers.

 
Third Period

• The visitors turned a one-point lead into an eight-point advantage (52-44) at 2:47 by outscoring Susquehanna, 20-13, from the start of the second half as Lawson scored eight and Angie Hawkins and Veronica Christ each hit a three-pointer.
• The River Hawks then lit it up from downtown with three straight triples as two from McQuillen sandwiched a Brandt three-ball to cut the deficit to one with 58 seconds left in the third.
• Susquehanna and Elizabethtown traded jumpers and the Blue Jays began the final frame with a 56-55 lead.

 
Fourth Period

• Elizabethtown stayed in front with a 6-3 start to the final 10 minutes of the game before a three-pointer by sophomore guard Sadie Comfort (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville) sparked a 13-2 that granted the River Hawks a 71-64 advantage with 3:10 remaining in the game.
• The Blue Jays rallied over the next three minutes and pulled within 73-70 with less than a minute to go.
• Junior forward Madi Welliver (Turbotville, Pa./Warrior Run) notched her fifth field goal of the day for a five-point lead under 30 seconds on the clock before McQuillen sealed the win with a 4-for-4 effort at the free throw line to lead 79-70 with 13 ticks left.
• Brandt iced the victory with a fastbreak bucket as time expired.

 
Inside the Box Score

• This is the first time in almost two months since an 84-65 win at Marywood University on Dec. 14 that the River Hawks have tallied 80-plus points. SU is 3-0 in games when the River Hawks have scored 80 or more points.
• Susquehanna also shot over 40-percent for the first time since shooting 44.4-percent at Elizabethtown on Jan. 18 as the River Hawks finished with a 42.5-field goal percentage.
• Tonight's win snaps a seven-game skid for Susquehanna against the Blue Jays. Overall, Elizabethtown boasts a 60-23 advantage in the series history. The two teams split the season series as each side won their home court.

 
Top Performers

• McQuillen was a rebound shy of a double-double as she finished with 21 points and nine rebounds plus four assists and two steals.
• Sophomore Amalia Esposito (Coraopolis, Pa./Montour) contributed 15 points and five boards while Brandt added a season-best 13 points with four caroms.
• Welliver chipped in a season-high 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench while Hoenninger recorded a nice stat line with nine points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
• Lawson dropped a game-high 25 points with six rebounds and four assists to lead the Blue Jays in their third straight loss.

 
Up Next for the River Hawks

• Feb. 12 at Drew (14-7, 5-5 LC) – Madison, N.J. / Baldwin Gymnasium – Landmark Conference game – 7:00 p.m.

 
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