SELINSGROVE, PA - The Susquehanna University Women's Basketball team fell to the University of Mary Washington Eagles in tightly contested Yvonne Young Esworty Tournament Championship game, losing 48-45. Olivia Brandt was named to the All-Tournament Team after the game, averaging 10 points and 10.5 rebounds a game in the tournament. 

In the first quarter, a 12-2 Eagles run propelled Mary Washington to a 10-point advantage after the first quarter, as the River Hawks struggled to score coming out of the gate, shooting just 3-12 in the opening period. Susquehanna had issues with the Eagles bigs, as they allowed five offensive rebounds, and also had issues taking care of the basketball, with five turnovers in the opening period. 

Six turnovers in the second quarter also made it difficult to cut into the Mary Washington lead, drawing as close as three points in the period, before the Eagles pulled away to a 30-21 halftime lead. The River Hawks were able to stay within striking distance of their opposition thanks to a strong display from the free throw line, as they knocked down all six attempts in the quarter. 

Susquehanna was able to pull within two points in the third quarter, as a Sadie Comfort three went down after an offensive rebound from the River Hawks. Mary Washington pulled away towards the end of the quarter,  as the Eagles scored with 23 seconds left in the quarter, to give themselves a six-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. 

The fourth quarter proved to be an exciting period, as Susquehanna was able to pull together enough offense to take a 45-44 lead with 2:49 remaining, as Amalia Esposito connected on two free throws. UMW was able to retake the lead just a few moments later, as a jumper fell from Molly Sharman. The Eagles would not allow Susquehanna to score throughout the rest of the game, forcing four misses by the River Hawks down the stretch. Two Mary Washington free throws helped to seal the win for the Eagles with five seconds on the clock, as the River Hawks missed a three-pointer with three seconds left on the clock.

Comfort was the River Hawks leading scorer, as the senior guard knocked in two three-pointers for 13 points, also adding three steals. Esposito had a near double-double with 12 points and 8 rebounds and Brandt notched her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Megan Emlet was solid once again off the bench contributing six point, three rebounds, and two assists, as she once again was a big factor in team's strong defense throughout the game. The defense held UMW to 30.6% shooting from the floor and 12.5 % shooting from deep. They forced 13 turnovers as well, which the offense was able to turn into 14 River Hawk points. 

Up Next

• Susquehanna will head to Carlisle, PA to face Dickinson College on Wednesday, November 17th, at 7 p.m. for a non-conference matchup. The River Hawks lost their last meeting with the Red Devils back in December of 2019, losing 77-62. 

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