Eastern tops Women's Basketball at home

Box Score GLENSIDE, Pa.: After a back and forth affair for most of the first half, featuring ten lead changes, Eastern University was able to pull away from Arcadia University taking a ten point lead at the break en-route to a 75-56 victory over the Knights in non-conference women's basketball play Saturday afternoon at the Kuch Center.

Senior Chrissy Taylor (Navron, PA/Garden Spot) completed a three-point play to put the Knights on the board in the early going. Each time the Eagles would pull in front by one, Arcadia would respond. A layup from senior Ashley Gripper (Philadelphia, PA/Central), a three ponter and two free throws in succession from Taylor and a three pointer from junior Angie Adams (Elkins Park, PA/Abington Friends) had the Eagles, who entered the game with an 8-2 overall record, in a quandary against the Knights who entered with a 2-7 overall mark.

The three from Adams put Arcadia in front by two, 12-10 before the visitors went to their leading scorers Bekah Roland and Shanti Jones to swing the two point lead to Eastern's favor, 14-12. The Knights locked it up again at 14 on a bucket in the paint from first year Victoria Roukas (Palisades Park, NJ/Immaculate Conception) which began an 8-0 run for Arcadia. Adams hit two free throws, Taylor a short jump shot and sophomore Jenna Crothers out-smarted her Eagle defender in the lane for two to give the largest lead of the contest by either team to the Knights with 11:09 to play, 20-14.

The basket by Crothers would be the Knights final field goal until 1:15, over a ten minute drought from the field for the home team. The Eagles managed to tie it up at 20 but Roukas sank two free shots to keep her team in front. Eastern would take a one point advantage, 23-22 before a free shot from Taylor knotted the game for the seventh and final time at 23-all. When Eastern's Katie Lincoln drained a three pointer with 6:04 to play in the half, it finally was enough to spark the Eagles who would close the first half on a 14-4 run and a ten-point lead at the break, 37-27.

Jones led the Eagles with 16 first half points on her way to a game high of 24. Nowak, who was hampered with early foul trouble, re-entered to finish with 17 points for the victors. Both Jones and Nowak added 8 rebounds apeice.

Arcadia fought back in the early going of the second half, shaving off an Eastern 13-point lead to 7, 44-37. Sophomore Victoria Mazzeo (Langhorne, PA/Neshaminy), Taylor and Roukas accounted for 8 points scored in the paint for Arcadia but the Knights couldn't maintain their scoring, succumbing to another scoring drought, this time a seven-minute span without a field goal as Eastern stretched their lead to 29 with 5:41 to play en-route to the 19-point margin of victory.

Taylor finished with 20 points and 4 rebounds to pace the Knights scoring while Roukas rang in with her second consecutive double-double outing, scoring 10 points with a game high 14 rebounds Adams netted 14 points and grabbed 8 boards on 3 for 6 from three-point land while hitting all three free throw attempts.

Arcadia shot just 25.7% from the floor, 23.5% from three-point range and 61.5% from the line Eastern shot 34.9% from the floor, just 9.5% from beyond the arc and 55.6% at the line. Eastern (9-2 overall) out-rebounded Arcadia 69-58 and committed fewer turnovers, 12 and scoring 27 points off of Arcadia's 22 turnovers.

The Knights (2-8 overall) look to avenge Saturday's loss when they host New Jersey City University this Monday at 6 p.m. at the kuch Center.

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