SELINSGROVE, PA - The Susquehanna University women's basketball team looked to parlay a four-game win streak and Senior Day into another strong outing Saturday to face #8 Scranton. Despite a cumbersome first quarter trailing by 12, the River Hawks rallied furiously in the third quarter to cut the lead down to four. The Royals, however, bounced back by quarter's end to lead by seven, then back up to double digits for a 62-51 victory.
On this Senior Day, Susquehanna honored graduate student Kaitlyn Lynch and senior Madison Miller prior to the game and giving Miller her first start of the season. Miller was up for the task, scoring five points, including one three, along with one assist.
Once the game tipped off the Royals immediately moved in to seize control of the game. Susquehanna shot 1-10 from the field and scored just three points in the first quarter, while turning the ball over six times. This included a nearly seven-minute stretch where they did not score a single point, and Scranton's offense remained steady throughout as they took a commanding 15-3 lead into the second quarter.
Scranton continued on by outscoring Susquehanna 9-2 early in the second to increase their lead to 19, the largest of the game. But the River Hawk offense finally gained momentum when Miller and Julia Pinckert hit three triples between them to give Susquehanna some life, but key players such as Julia Roth and Zoie Maffei could not stay out of foul trouble. The Royals took advantage of this, shooting 12 free throws in the quarter and hitting six, to take a 31-16 lead into halftime.
To start the second half Susquehanna went on a huge 16-5 run, led by eight points from Lynch and some timely stops from the defense anchored by Roth and Carly George, to make it a game at 36-32 with just under three minutes to go in the third. However, Scranton weathered the storm and held onto a 41-34 with one quarter left.
To start the fourth Scranton got the lead back to double digits just under two minutes in, and Susquehanna was unable to recover. Pinkert, George, and Lynch did their best to keep the River Hawks alive, scoring 13 of Susquehanna's 17 points in the fourth, but a 21-point fourth quarter from Scranton, which included 9-12 from the free throw line, kept any potential comeback in check.
Pinkert led the team in scoring with 14 points along with four assists, Lynch was right behind her with 12 points, and George recorded a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, including five offensive rebounds. Despite the rough first quarter, Susquehanna outshot Scranton from the field making 40.0 percent (18-of-45) with 5-of-14 from 3-point range and 10-of-17 from the free throw line, compared to the Royals' 33.3 percent (20-of-60) and 29.4 percent (5-of-14) from behind the arc and 63.0 percent (17-of-27) from the line.
Susquehanna remains in fourth in the Landmark Conference standings at 15-8 overall and 10-6 in LC play, with Wednesday's road game at Juniata at 7 p.m. giving the River Hawks a shot at clinching the fourth seed and first home Landmark Tournament playoff game in school history. They are two games in front of fifth-place Drew, who they will face off in their regular season finale next Saturday from New Jersey.
