OWINGS MILLS, Md. – In the Mustangs' eighth game of the season, this one against the Elizabethtown Blue Jays, Stevenson women's basketball ended an early new year heartbreaker on their home court with an 86-62 decision.
The Mustangs managed to match pace early in the first half with the yet-undefeated Blue Jays, but the opponents entered the second half new energy. Sophomore guard
Laci Johnson topped the home team with 11 points while senior forward
Maleah Smith continued to rack up rebounds with five total. Senior guard
Aysia Ferguson showed a solid performance with nine total points on four assists. For the Blue Jays, sophomore center DaniRae Renno scored 20 total points on five rebounds and caused three turnovers.
FIRST QUARTER
The Mustangs managed to keep pace with the Blue Jays in the first quarter of the night, ending with 17 points to the Blue Jays' 18. While Elizabethtown held a four-to-six-point lead in the early minutes, a jumper from sophomore guard
Emori Jeselskis tied the game 12-12 with just over two minutes remaining. The Mustangs saw one more four-point gap before a three- pointer from first year forward
Tessa Boswell and a jumper from first year forward
Destiny Towns ended the first period.
SECOND QUARTER
The Mustangs managed to score early, pacing the Blue Jays with a one-point game via a lay-up from Johnson. While the Mustangs kept pace early in the second, they were unable to maintain the tight gap through the entire period. The Blue Jays found their momentum, ending the half ahead 45-34.
THIRD QUARTER
The Blue Jays extended their lead in the third quarter, earning the 70
th point by the end of the period. Ferguson, first year guard
Erin Dixon and first year forward
Aliyah Jean-Jacques notched points, but the momentum belonged to the Blue Jays. The quarter ended 70-47 in favor of the Blue Jays.
FOURTH QUARTER
With a strong lead established, the game remained within a 20–26-point gap for the Blue Jays. The Mustangs scored 15 more points, including two last-minute shots by Jean-Jacques to bring the team's total to 62. The Blue Jays rounded the night with 16 more points overall, ending in the 86-62 final score.
UP NEXT
The Mustangs fall to 3-8 overall while the Blue Jays remain undefeated at 11-0 overall as members of the Landmark Conference. The Mustangs return to their home court quickly, jumping back into Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) play against Lebanon Valley College on Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 8 p.m. The Blue Jays return to conference play and host Moravian on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 2 p.m.
