WASHINGTON, D.C. — Looking to rebound from a tough home loss against nationally ranked No. 7 Scranton this past Saturday, the Elizabethtown College women's basketball team was back on the court Tuesday night at Catholic. The Jays struggled from beyond the arc as the Cardinals led the entire way in a 71-56 win over E-town. Taylor Alwine and Emily Martin each had eight points apiece to lead EC.

Four of Catholic's (9-4, 3-1 Landmark) five starters scored to help the hosts out to a 12-4 start over the first four and a half minutes of the game. Michelle DeSantis and Jayni Webster each hit treys while Bridget Power and Josephine Migash scored in the paint. DeSantis also had a layup to round out the first 12 points for CUA.

Nikki Thompson and Emily Young hit back-to-back jumpers for Elizabethtown (8-2, 2-2 Landmark) to bring the Jays within three, 15-12, with 10:54 left in the first half.

Thompson, who had seven points to lead all bench scorers, came up with a steal and then finished at the other end off an assist from Alyssa Aichele to keep E-town close. Within the following, however, Catholic's lead blossomed into double digits after DeSantis drained another three with 7:48 remaining, putting the score at 26-16.

The teams traded baskets near the end of the first half as Martin and Alwine tried to get the Blue Jays on a scoring run, but the Cardinals answered each time. Martin's layup with just over a minute left cut the deficit to six, but DeSantis added a bucket (13 first-half points) with six seconds to go to make it 34-26 at the break.

Rachel Forjan forced a turnover at the beginning of the second half and Krissy Pennell turned it into two points on the other end. Catholic was quick to respond, scoring the next five points.

As the Cardinals expanded the advantage back into double digits, the Jays tried answering on several occasions, but the hole was too big. Alyssa Aichele and Sabrina Hackendorn hit back-to-back shots down low to spark some life into Elizabethtown. Two free throws from Aichele with 9:03 left to go had Catholic's lead down to just seven after it had gotten as big as 15.

It would prove to be as close as E-town would come. From that point, the Cardinals outscored the Blue Jays 17-9 over the final nine minutes. Aichele, Hackendorn, and Pennell each has six second-half points.

For the first time in 146 games, Elizabethtown's leading scorer did not finish with double-digit points. The last time it happened was in a 73-42 loss to Messiah on Jan. 10, 2009, when Megan Romano led the Jays with eight points.

DeSantis (22 points), Migash (15 points), and Power (10 points) combined to shoot 17-for-27 from the floor. DeSantis went 3-of-4 from downtown and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.

Thompson, Hackendorn, Emily Young, and Erika Ferro combined for 21 points off the bench. Marissa Gingrich and Morgan Thomas also scored for the Jays.

The women's basketball team returns home on Thursday, Jan. 8 for a 7 p.m. Landmark Conference clash with Juniata, who they beat 80-61 back in early December.