(Posted February 7, 2006)

Juniata, 66, Elizabethtown 47

HUNTINGDON, Pa. - For the second time in four days the Juniata College women's basketball team rode accurate three-point shooting and a smothering defensive effort to a conference victory, this time posting a 66-47 win over visiting Elizabethtown in Huntingdon Tuesday night.

The Eagles shot 49 percent from the field in the game and 36 percent from three-point range, while holding the visitors to 23 percent shooting as they improved to 11-11 on the year and 4-7 in conference play. Elizabethtown fell to 9-12 overall and 5-6 in conference action with the loss.

Ali Meckey (Bishop Carroll/Ebensburg) scored a team-high 15 points on 5-fo-6 shooting from long range to pace the Juniata offense. The sophomore guard has been on a torrid three-point shooting stretch as over the past five games she has knocked down 16 threes and is shooting 57 percent from behind the three-point line.

A pair of early threes from Meckey and a pair of hoops from Katie O'Brien (South Western/Hanover) helped Juniata race out to a 16-6 lead in the first nine minutes of the game. The Blue Jays pulled back within six points on an Erin Walton bucket, only to see the Eagles pout together an 11-1 run that had the home team on top 27-10 with 7:03 left in the half. Elizabethtown battled back, closing the half with a 6-0 spurt that sent Juniata into the locker room leading by just nine.

But Juniata's defense then put the clamps on in the second half as they limited the visitors to just six field goals and 20 percent shooting over the final 20 minutes. After a Walton hoop brought the Blue Jays within seven in the opening minutes, The Eagles got threes from Meckey and Kristen Kirk (Newport/Newport) as part of a 10-0 run that had Juniata on top 43-26 at the 16:46 mark. Elizabethtown whittled the lead back to 12 with just over 14 minutes left, but the Eagles quickly answered with an 8-0 run and put the game away.

The victory marked the first time since the 2002-03 season that the Eagles have claimed back-to-back conference victories.

Along with Meckey's 15, Jess Winemiller (Dallastown/York) was also in double figures with 10 points. O'Brien and Kirk both added nine points, while O'Brien and Lesley Snoby (Johnstown/Johnstown) both pulled down a team-best eight rebounds. Jill Walsh (Ferndale/Johnstown) led the team with four assists.

Walton led all players with 23 points, while Amanda Reid chipped in 10 points and a team-best six rebounds. Jenn Montague matched that total with six boards, and Cristin Braun dished out three assists.

Juniata will return to action at conference foe Lebanon Valley on Saturday.

ELIZABETHTOWN (47): Davis 0 1-2 1, Walton 8 6-6 23, Hitz 1 2-3 4, Braun 2 1-2 5, Reid 1 8-8 10, Pecht 0 0-0 0, Deldeo 0 0-0 0, Fitzpatrick 0 0-0 0, Quinn 0 2-2 2, Montague 0 0-0 0, Meyer 1 0-1 2. Totals - 13 20-24 47.

JUNIATA (66): Meckey 5 0-0 15, Walsh 2 0-0 4, Kirk 4 0-0 9, Winemiller 5 0-0 10, O'Brien 3 3-4 9, Callas 1 0-0 3, Rhoads 0 0-0 0, Piccolini 0 0-0 0, Werner 2 2-2 6, Hauser 1 0-0 2, Ashcraft 2 0-0 4, Hatch 0 0-0 0, Snoby 1 2-4 8. Totals - 267-10 66.

Halftime: Juniata 33-24. 3-point goals: Elizabethtown 1 (Walton); Juniata 7 (Meckey 5, Kirk, Werner). Assists: Elizabethtown 7 (Braun 3); Juniata 15 (Walsh 4). Rebounds: Elizabethtown 31 (Reid, Montague 6); Juniata 39 (O'Brien, Snoby 8).

Records: Elizabethtown (9-12, 5-6 Commonwealth), Juniata (11-11, 4-7 Commonwealth).

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Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.