In a Landmark Conference battle between two playoff hopefuls, the Elizabethtown College women’s basketball team shot below 30 percent from the field for the first time this season while Moravian College hit nearly 50 percent of their shots for the game. Sophomore Julia Craig provided a huge spark off the bench to help the Blue Jays keep pace with the Greyhounds throughout the game. Craig scored a season-high 19 points, but Etown could not grab the lead back from the Greyhounds late, falling 66-61 at home.
Etown struggled offensively over the first 10 minutes of action, shooting just four of 22 in the opening quarter. However, the Blue Jays made good use of the foul line to enter quarter number two tied with Moravian. In the second quarter, the Greyhounds took control of the game as Morgan Calabrese scored nine of her 23 points in the frame. Calabrese stepped up as her teammate Camille McPherson, the Landmark’s leading scorer, was held to just six first-half points.
Moravian took a 27-21 lead into the break as they outscored the Blue Jays 15-to-nine in the second quarter. The Greyhounds grabbed an eight-point lead early in the second half, but a 12-to-six run helped the Blue Jays tie the game up midway through the third quarter. Moravian went on a run of their own to end the third quarter to take a six point lead into the final frame.
McPherson began to heat up for the visitors as she scored 10 points in the third and added nine more in the fourth for her game-high 25 points. Craig did her best to keep Etown alive, scoring eight of the team’s first 10 points in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 49 with just over seven minutes left.
The Blue Jays were never able to take the lead in the fourth quarter as Moravian improved to 8-2 in the Landmark Conference, while Etown dropped to 5-5. Senior Emily Martin, who was recognized before the game for scoring her 1000th point against the University of Scranton back on Jan. 28, scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Junior Emma Hoesman chipped in with 11 points and recorded five steals.
Wednesday night, the Blue Jays hosted Juniata College in a must-win game for Etown. Juniata entered the game with one win in their 10 conference games. The game finished too late for this issue.
The Blue Jays will travel to Goucher College Saturday, Feb. 11, to face the last place Gophers. Etown defeated Goucher back on Saturday, Jan. 21, 82-37.
With three games remaining on their schedule, each game has huge playoff implications for the Blue Jays. After Goucher, Etown will travel to first-place Catholic University and then finish the season hosting Susquehanna University on Saturday, Feb. 18.
