(Posted January 22, 2011)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Juniata College sophomore Jordan Speck (Huntingdon, Pa./Southern Huntingdon) drained five 3-pointers, including four in the second half, to lead the Eagles to a 66-59 come-from-behind win over Drew University, Saturday evening at the Kennedy Sports + Recreation Center.

Speck was 5-of-9 from beyond the arc, part of a 5-of-10 shooting effort on the night, on her way to a career-high 19 points.

Senior Erin McGinley (Ashland, Pa./Tri-Valley) was the only other Juniata player in double figures with 14 points, and she completed her first double-double of the season with 10 rebounds. Junior guard Ashton Bankos (York, Pa./York Catholic) also had 10 rebounds, to go with seven points and five assists with three steals.

Juniata (12-6, 5-2 Landmark) made up in sheer shooting volume what they may not have had in accuracy. The Eagles shot 31.6 percent from the field against the Rangers, but made 24 field goals on 76 attempts compared to Drew's 22-of-53 (.415) performance from the floor.

Pacing the Rangers (8-9, 1-6 Landmark) offensively were junior guard Danielle Barber with 19 points, and senior forward Jessica Reid with 11 points and a team-high seven boards.

Leading by two at the half, Drew extended its lead to six points, 37-31, on a Barber layup with 14:14 remaining in the second stanza. Juniata's Paige Robertson (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area) answered with a three-pointer to cut the margin down to three, and back-to-back baskets by McGinley and Speck gave the Eagles a 38-37 lead with 10:48 showing on the clock.

Juniata and Drew traded the lead twice over the next two minutes before tying at 41-41 with a pair of Reid foul shots, but Speck broke the deadlock with a three-pointer to give Juniata a 44-41 lead. While the Rangers would pull to within a point of the Eagles on three occasions, Juniata held its lead the rest of the way.

Another Speck trey and a McGinley layup stretched Juniata's lead to 49-43 with 7:22 remaining, and a pair of McGinley foul shots just under a minute later put the Eagles in front by eight points - their largest lead of the night.

Drew's last challenge came with a pair of Barber free throws, trimming the Juniata advantage to 55-54 with 3:44 showing. Speck answered with her fifth 3-pointer of the night, making the score 58-54 in Juniata's favor, and a McGinley layup approximately 45 seconds later left Juniata leading by five.

The Eagles return to the court on Friday, Jan. 28, when they travel to Towson, Md., to take on Goucher College. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

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