Photo by Michael Mandigo
By Abby Condon, Staff Writer
After putting together a four-game winning streak, the Susquehanna women’s basketball team hit the road on Saturday, Jan. 18 for the start of a two-game road series, with their first game coming against conference foe Elizabethtown College.
“So far this season I have learned not to take teams lightly no matter what their record is,” junior Erin McQuillen said. “It is important for us to go into every game knowing that it is not going to be easy.”
The Blue Jays connected right away in the first quarter, building a lead of five points before Susquehanna battled back and headed into the second quarter with an 18-17 lead.
Juniors Madi Welliver and McQuillen both contributed four points each in the second quarter, expanding the River Hawk lead to seven. Sophomore guard Amalia Esposito tossed in an additional four points to give Susquehanna a 34-29 lead heading into halftime.
The third and fourth quarters saw multiple lead changes occur between the teams as River Hawk sophomore Amanda Lemire scored seven points to assist Susquehanna in recapturing the lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Elizabethtown Blue Jays fired back, out rebounding Susquehanna 14-2 to regain widen the lead with a 13-0 scoring run. The team went five-for-nine at the free throw line and the contest ended with Elizabethtown earning a 75-69 victory over the River Hawks.
Leading all Susquehanna scorers in this effort was Esposito with 16 points and Lemire with 11 points. Sophomore forward Olivia Brandt added 10 points, while junior guard Nevin Hoenninger tossed in eight points.
Continuing conference play, the River Hawks once again hit the road to take on the University of Scranton on Wednesday, Jan. 22.
The game started off with Hoenninger finding the net with a three-pointer within the first minute of play, giving the River Hawks a 3-0 advantage. The nationally-ranked Royals answered back with 15 points in the quarter, however, extending their lead 15-9.
The second quarter of play found the River Hawks rallying back and being led by Hoenninger, who had nine points, while shooting 36 percent from the field.
In the second, half Scranton built their lead to seven before McQuillen answered back with five points of her own. The last quarter, however, was all Scranton, as the Royals hit 10 of 12 at the free throw line while shooting 50% from the field compared to Susquehanna’s 30%.
Ultimately, the River Hawks ended up falling short by a final score of 59-46. Leading Susquehanna was McQuillen with 14 points and four rebounds and Hoenninger with 11 points and four rebounds.
“If we continue to work hard during practice and learn from our mistakes, we can be a top contender in the Landmark, and play in the Landmark Championship,” Hoenninger said following the game.
Coming off two-straight road losses, the women’s team returned to action on Saturday, Jan. 25 against the Catholic University of America at home in Selinsgrove Pa., but once again came up short, losing 64-52.
Three point shots played a role in Susquehanna’s first quarter, as Lemire and Hoenninger both connected from behind the arc to build an 8-7 lead before the Cardinals fired back with 12-4 run to finish out the opening quarter with a 19-12 lead.
In the second quarter, Susquehanna challenged the lead, connecting on seven of the quarter’s final points. The River Hawks, however, were still down 34-22 heading into halftime.
During the third and fourth quarters, the River Hawks dug in hard with contributions from junior guard Alexa Petrozzino, who scored six points.
Despite shooting 37% from the field and hitting 77% of their free throws, the River Hawks could not contain Catholic, losing 64-52 and falling to 3-3 in Landmark Conference play.
Next, Susquehanna will travel to Baltimore, MD to take on Goucher on Feb 1.