ELIZABETHTOWN, PA (January 28, 2023) – The River Hawks women's basketball team faced a stiff test on Saturday afternoon as they traveled to face Elizabethtown College in Landmark Conference action, with the Blue Jays having just one loss on the season and receiving votes in the latest d3hoops Top 25 Poll. SU looked primed to play spoiler in the first half, but ultimately couldn't sustain their upset bid for four quarters and fell 79-52 to the Blue Jays.
Susquehanna took advantage of early offensive struggles by E-Town to establish an advantage on the scoreboard, scoring seven unanswered points to start the game and holding a double-digit advantage just over five minutes in, leading 13-2 at the 4:49 mark thanks to a converted and-one play by Julia Roth. However, the Blue Jays would begin to leverage stifling defense and dominance on the glass to earn some second chance opportunities and free possessions through forced turnovers. This would allow them to claw back within striking distance, as Susquehanna led just 17-14 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter began another dry spell for the Blue Jays, which SU took advantage of with another Roth layup and a made three by Julia Pinckert, pushing the lead up to nine. From there, the River Hawks would hold their own in front for much of the quarter, but again Elizabethtown slowly fought closer, finally closing the game back to a tie at 28-28 with 2:39 left in the half. A free throw from Olivia Brandt restored a slim SU lead, but Elizabethtown would hit a jumper to take their first lead of the contest with 35 seconds left. One more free throw make, this one from Isabella Schwabe, tied the game at 30 each at halftime.
The second half would belong to the Blue Jays as they came out of the locker room and immediately reclaimed the lead, one they'd hold for the remainder of the game. The third quarter in particular proved to be a difference maker, as E-Town outscored SU 31-13 in the frame. They went 10 of 15 from the floor, making four of five from long range and adding a seven of eight performance from the foul line. The difference in rebounding and turnovers grew more pronounced as Elizabethtown stretched out to a double-digit advantage and didn't look back, continuing to press the River Hawks on defense and racking up 16 steals. They would outscore SU in points off turnovers 21-6 in the game.
Despite the final result, multiple River Hawks produced strong individual performances, with senior Kaitlyn Lynch continuing her stretch of good games with another team-high in scoring. She tallied 14 points while going four of six from the floor, two of two from beyond the arc, and four for four from the foul line. She also added two assists and two rebounds. Meanwhile, Roth produced yet another double-double, the fourth of her young collegiate career. She registered 13 points and a team-leading 15 rebounds. Pinckert again provided the playmaking spark with a team-high four assists, also adding seven points and two rebounds.
Susquehanna now sits at 7-12 overall and 2-6 in the Landmark Conference. After playing second-placed Elizabethtown today, they'll now prepare to face conference leaders Scranton, who are currently ranked #4 in the Top 25 poll and are a perfect 19-0. SU faced the Royals once already, falling 64-48 in their game at the Palestra on January 15th. SU will hope home court will provide them an opportunity to del Scranton their first loss of the season. That game will tip off on Wednesday, February 1 at 7:00 pm.
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--RIVER HAWKS--
