(Posted January 10, 2007)

SELINSGROVE, Pa. - Jess Winemiller (Dallastown/York) scored a game-high 16 points, but the Juniata College women\'s basketball team saw Susquehanna University make critical plays down the stretch as the Eagles fell by a 57-50 score in Commonwealth action Wednesday night. Juniata is now 10-4 and 1-2 in the Commonwealth Conference, while the Crusaders raised their record to 11-3 on the year and 2-1 in the conference. The second half saw the teams tied on six occasions, the last time after Winemiller sank a layup with 2:25 remaining to knot the score at 46. On the ensuing possession Susquehanna\'s Jen Clark scored and drew a foul on the Eagles. Clark missed the free throw, but the Crusaders\' Samantha Jansson grabbed the offensive board and scored to give the home team a four-point lead. The lead grew to six before Claudia McDowell (Juniata Valley/Alexandria) sank a pair of free throws with 1:11 remaining. The Eagles got no closer than four the rest of the way as Susquehanna held on for the win. McDowell was also in double figures for Juniata with 11 points, while Clark and Jansson each scored nine points to lead the home team. Juniata got off to a hot start as the team shot 41 percent from the field in the first half, while holding Susquehanna to 30 percent shooting and just 20 points. After Susquehanna led in the early going Juniata took the lead on a Mindy Werner (Dallastown/York) three. A three from Courtney Callas (Freeport/Sarver) and two free throws from Winemiller sent Juniata into halftime with an eight-point lead, its largest of the game. The Eagles maintained the lead for the first part of the second half, before Susquehanna battled back to tie the score at 34 with 11:46 left in the game. Neither team then held a lead of more than four points for the remainder of the half until the final two minutes. Winemiller was 6 for 13 from the floor in the game, and also hit all four of her free throws. McDowell passed out a game-high seven assists to go with her 11 points, while Kelly Ashcraft (State College/Bellefonte) paced the team with 10 rebounds. Val Houseal and Nikki Smith each added eight points for Susquehanna which finished the game shooting 37 percent as a team. Clark led the home squad with six rebounds, while Sarah Jane Kalejta and Crystal Schneck each had three assists. Juniata will be on the road again on Saturday when they face Commonwealth foe Moravian. ###

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