By Pat Delp Staff writer
Despite a 21-point, 14 rebound outing by junior forward Courtney Adams, Susquehanna women’s basketball fell to Drew, 62-49, on Senior Day at home on Feb. 11.
With the loss, the River Hawks fall to 5-7 in Landmark Conference play. However, they still maintain an overall record of 14-9.
Adams recorded her fourth double-double in Susquehanna’s last five games.
Susquehanna fell behind quickly, trailing 17-11 after the first 10 minutes of play. In an interesting turn of events, in the next 10 minutes, Susquehanna outscored Drew by the same score of 17-11, which was enough to bring the score to a tie going into half time.
Going into the third quarter, the Rangers answered back with a 13-2 run of their own to build a lead that carried them to a win in the contest.
The River Hawks struggled to shoot the ball in the second half, going 9-for-34 from the field and only 1-for-15 from 3-point range.
The Rangers, on the other hand, shot 12-for-32 from the field and 3-for-9 from behind the arc in the second half.
In the losing effort, Adams led the River Hawks with her double-double effort along with six blocks.
Junior guard Tess Nichols added 14 points of her own in addition to four steals, followed by sophomore guard Bailey Trell who scored seven.
With the loss, Susquehanna fell into a tie with Drew for fifth in the Landmark standings, which gave the team one last chance to make the playoffs with a win against visiting Scranton on Feb. 15.
The scenario did not play out as the Susquehanna faithful would have liked, as the River Hawks fell just short of Scranton 70-60.
The game was closer than the score indicated. All night, the River Hawks survived multiple runs from the Royals, including a run that put Susquehanna down by 11 in the third quarter.
The River Hawks forced Scranton into uncharacteristic offensive mistakes and hit clutch shots when they had to be made. Late in the fourth, the lead was cut to just one.
Susquehanna never took back the lead, however, as it seemed the team ran out of steam in the final stretch against the nationally ranked Scranton squad.
In the final quarter, Scranton converted several three-point play opportunities, and in the final minutes of the game, the River Hawks forced shots that did not fall.
“We had a few possesions where we needed a basket and we just didn’t get it,” said Head Coach Jim Reed.
Adams again led the charge for Susquehanna with another double-double, her fifth in a row, this time with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Susquehanna’s second leading scorer of the game was freshman guard Janine Conway who finished with 11 points coming off the bench.
Trell also contributed eight points and five assists.
Eliminated from playoff contention, Susquehanna will conclude its season against Elizabethtown on Feb. 18.