SELINSGROVE, PA (November 20, 2022) – The Susquehanna women's basketball team earned a place in the National Beef SU Tip-Off Tournament championship game on Sunday after a win over Gallaudet University last night. The River Hawks faced off against the Cougars of Misericordia University on Sunday at 3 pm with the title on the line and Susquehanna hoping to take a second straight victory at home. Despite a back-and-forth battle and some strong performances, Misericordia would ultimately pull away in the fourth quarter and take the win, the final score being 71-56.

The first half would be extremely tight as the offenses found their flow. SU would lead after one quarter 12-10, with Misericordia in particular struggling to find their shooting touch as they shot 23 percent. Both offenses improved in the second quarter, with the Cougars doubling their output to 20 points in the quarter while SU scored 17, making the score 40-39 in favor of Misericordia at the halftime whistle.

The teams continued to look evenly matched in the third quarter as Misericordia again scored 20 while SU was just behind with 19, making the gap two points going into the fourth. A traditionally strong offense from beyond the arc, Misericordia managed only a 30.8 percent mark from range in the game, hitting periodically but seeing the River Hawks match them often. Susquehanna would actually have better shooting percentages in the game, shooting 42.9 from the floor to MU's 34.5, and hitting 33.3 from three-point range. The differentiator that allowed Misericordia to keep up and take the lead at numerous times during the game was their output from the free throw line. The Cougars shot a hefty 33 free throws, making 25 of them on the afternoon. In comparison, Susquehanna would go 9 for 10 from the charity stripe.

That difference was never more pronounced than in the fourth quarter, when MU shot 17 free throws and made 12. They scored 21 total points in the quarter while Susquehanna's offense faded and had only eight. The quarter actually began with Susquehanna tying the game and then reclaiming the lead with back-to-back made layups by Kaitlyn Lynch, but four made free throws by the Cougars restored their two-point lead. That lead would then not be relinquished as MU scored the next five points. Lynch would be responsible for all of SU's points in the fourth quarter, but the River Hawks couldn't keep up with all of Misericordia's chances to go to the free throw line. Susquehanna had 22 personal fouls to MU's 10 on the night. Turnovers also cost SU a number of possessions, as they had 24 on the night.

First-year Julia Pinckert continued the remarkable start to her career with a double-double in the losing effort, nearly reaching a triple-double. She had 15 points on a 5 for 10 shooting performance, going 3 for 5 from three and 2 for 2 from the free throw line. She led the team in both rebounds and assists with 12 and 8, respectively. She also managed to snag five steals. Lynch matched her points total with 15 of her own, adding two blocks, two assists, and a rebound.

The All-Tournament Team was announced after the game, with five selections along with an MVP. Cabrini University, who won the consolation game over Gallaudet University, was represented on the team by senior Miranda Liebtag. Sophomore Hannah Puent was chosen for Gallaudet. Susquehanna earned two selections, with Pinckert and Lynch earning the honors. Graduate student Melina Santacroce made the team for Misericordia, while senior Gianna Delfino was selected as the Tournament MVP.

Susquehanna now sits at 2-2 on the young season and will have a week-long break before their next game. They'll take the floor at home again on Sunday, November 27 as Lycoming College comes to town for a 2 pm tipoff.

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--RIVER HAWKS--