By Rachael Cataldo, Assistant Sports Editor
Senior center Courtney Adams became the 12th player in Susquehanna University women’s basketball history to score 1000 points, and led the team with 23 points as they fell to Elizabethtown 81-56 on Saturday, Feb. 17 in Selinsgrove.
Adams achieved the 1000-point milestone on the final shot of her career with just 22 seconds to go. She also finished with eight rebounds and four steals.
“It felt like a bigger relief than I have ever felt before,” Adams said. “It was an awesome feeling all around, but I made myself and everyone else in that gym sweat it out until the last possible second.”
The River Hawks (11-13, 6-8) fell behind early in the game as the Blue Jays (15-9, 9-5) took the 25-14 lead after the first quarter.
Elizabethtown could not keep the momentum going into the second quarter however as the River Hawks limited them to only 11 points, but Susquehanna could only score 15 of their own.
The River Hawks went into halftime only trailing by seven points with a score of 36-29.
Adams scored 10 points in the first half and scored four points early on in the third quarter to trim the lead to 40-35.
Elizabethtown answered and extended the lead to double-figures. Senior guard Holly Crossin sank a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 11.
The Blue Jays closed the quarter on a 10-5 run. At the end of the quarter, Adams was just three points shy of reaching her milestone with 19.
Adams snatched an offensive rebound and scored with a little under seven minutes to play.
Senior guard Tess Nichols scored a basket and Adams finished off her 1000-point accomplishment with a layup.
“I didn’t particularly have any strategies except to just stay as relaxed as I could and just play my normal game,” Adams said.
Nichols scored 12 points for the River Hawks. Junior guard Bailey Trell led the team with 10 rebounds and three assists.
Prior to the game, seniors Adams, Nichols, Crossin, forward Desiree Furbert, forward Megan McFadden and manager Danielle Ramsey were honored.
Adams thanked her parents, uncle, and coaches for being her biggest support system.
“I am just grateful for having played for this team this year in particular because it was the best group of girls we have had in four years and it just made for such a great ending to a great career,” Adams said. “My coaches always had my back and supported me.”
Elizabethtown’s Veronica Christ tied Adams to lead all scorers in the game with 23 points. Christ also added four rebounds, four assists and three steals on the night.
The Blue Jays were able to pull away from the River Hawks mainly due to threepointers, as Elizabethtown managed to hit 11-28 attempts compared to the 4-17 from Susquehanna.
The loss also gave Elizabethtown the season series, as the Blue Jays also were able to take the first game from the River Hawks 50-37 on Jan. 13.
Adams was also tied for the leading scorer in that game with Elizabethtown’s Abby Beyer. Both had 15 points during the first matchup.
McFadden was also a force on the glass in the first game, as she brought in 11 rebounds.
Susquehanna also struggled in that game from the 3-point line, as they only hit two out of 17 total shots.
Next year, Susquehanna will be without their star players in Adams and Nichols, and will lose three forwards in McFadden, Furbert and Crossin. The River Hawks will return a trio of experienced guards though in freshman Erin McQuillen, Trell and junior Maddie Murray, which on top of a six-player freshman class, will make up one of the youngest teams in the conference.
With Adams departure, junior center Haley Timko will have large shoes to fill.
Away games were problematic for Susquehanna as well, as the team finished with a 4-7 record compared to the 7-5 record when playing in the friendly confines of the O.W. Houts Gymnasium.
Head coach Jim Reed will look to have his team prepared and ready to go for the start of the 2018-2019 season.