ELIZABETHTOWN, PA - Susquehanna University women's basketball made it difficult for the 21st-ranked Elizabethtown Blue Jays to have any kind of comfort on their home court Saturday in Landmark Conference action. It was even difficult for them to have any kind of lead to start the game, with the River Hawks holding the advantage after the first quarter 16-12. E-Town got out in front in the second quarter, though Susquehanna kept the game close, keeping the Blue Jays' margin at two to start the fourth quarter. The host team, however, pulled ahead with a strong fourth-quarter performance to claim an 83-74 victory. 

With the game tied at five, the River Hawks seized momentum with a 9-0 run, capped by a Kenzie Selvaggi 3-pointer, one of her three on the day as she finished with nine points. The Blue Jays countered with a 7-0 run to bring SU's lead down to 14-12, but the orange and maroon got the last word when Lauren Klein grabbed a rebound in the final minute and went coast-to-coast for a layup to lead 16-12 after one. Klein's board and basket represented just a small part of her 13 points and four rebounds Saturday, making 2-of-3 threes and 5-of-8 field goals. Elizabethtown responded with 25 points in the second quarter, starting a trend of 20-point periods the rest of the game as they took control going into the half up 37-31. 

Susquehanna refused to go quietly and made the adjustments to cut into E-Town's lead, outscoring the Blue Jays in the third period 22-20, capped by a Grace Meehan 3-pointer to beat the buzzer as the deficit was shortened to 57-53. It marked Meehan's only three of the game as her 4-for-6 display from the floor, including seven second-half points, earned her nine points to go with four assists. The River Hawks' instensity in the second half was also marked by Carly George netting ten points with six rebounds in the final 20, producing her fifth double-double of the season with 16 point and 15 boards. Zoie Maffei kept in-step contributing six of her 13 points in the second half, while producing four total assists and three rebounds. 

These peak River Hawk performances gave E-Town trouble all afternoon, which refused to let up to start the fourth as Meehan again posed a problem making the opening basket of the final quarter to shrink the Blue Jays' lead to 57-55. From that point on, though, Elizabethtown found some traction on its way to 26 fourth-quarter points to fend off Susquehanna's 21 points for the quarter. After a Klein free throw made it a one-possession game at 59-56, the Blue Jays went on an 8-0 run to go up by double digits at 67-56. Susquehanna got the lead back down to six thanks to a Sydney Weyant three and a back-to-back layups from Maffei. Selvaggi made a three a couple moments later to drain the lead to seven, but Elizabethtown pulled away at the end, leading by as much as 14 by game's end. 

Both sides fared considerably well shooting, with the River Hawks making 49.2 percent (31-63) with 8-of-19 on threes and 4-of-8 on free throws. The Blue Jays made 54.5 percent (30-of-55) with 6-of-10 on threes and 17-of-20 from the line. This was bolstered by two 20-point players for E-Town in Summer McNulty's 22 points and Makenna Mummert's 20 markers. Susquehanna did hold the slim edge in rebounds, 30-29, with George's board count making up half the team's total rebounds. 

Saturday's close Landmark contest should give Susquehanna something to strive for in the home stretch of the season, still standing in fourth place and being the only Landmark school to be undefeated against unranked conference competition. They look to keep both those monikers up going into next week's two-game homestand, starting with Goucher Wednesday night at 7 p.m. as part of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, then Wilkes next Saturday at 2 p.m. as part of Susquehanna's Hall of Fame and Alumni Day.