Ashley Reynolds at Franklin & Marshall 111917
Wyatt Eaton
56
Elizabethtown ETOWN 5-3
73
Winner Muhlenberg MUHL 10-0
Elizabethtown ETOWN
5-3
56
Final
73
Muhlenberg MUHL
10-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Elizabethtown ETOWN 6 18 18 14 56
Muhlenberg MUHL 21 10 25 17 73

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12/29/2017 | 5 p.m.

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History

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Slow start, turnovers compound Blue Jays' loss to unbeaten Muhlenberg

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- The Elizabethtown College women's basketball team had the chance to knock off a second ranked opponent in the calendar year on Saturday, but a slow start and a season-high 18 turnovers made the task that much taller in a 73-56 defeat to unbeaten Muhlenberg at Memorial Hall. Ashley Reynolds led E-town with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

After a 12-day layoff between games, Elizabethtown (5-3) got off to a less than ideal start on the road Saturday afternoon, shooting just 1-for-16 from the floor in the opening quarter. The lone field goal, a three-pointer from Marissa Emlet, and a pair of free throws by Mikayla Ruth, were the only points of the first for E-town. Muhlenberg (10-0), recently ranked 22nd in the WBCA Division III Coaches Poll and 18th in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, led 21-6 after the first ten minutes.

Veronica Christ was the spark off the bench for the third straight game, notching ten points for the Blue Jays, her third straight such game. Christ began the second quarter by scoring the first five points for Elizabethtown. Christ and Ruth hit back-to-back jumpers midway through the second period to get E-town back within ten at 27-17. Ruth's free throw a possession later put the deficit to just nine points with less than four to go in the first half.

Chelsea Gary, who had a double-double of her own, put the Mules back up 13 with 1:21 remaining. The Jays, though, fought back. The freshman forward tandem of Reynolds and Emma Powell got EC back within seven by the half as the two accounted for the final six points of the second for the Blue Jays. Reynolds first hit a pair of foul shots. After a Muhlenberg turnover, Reynolds connected on a layup. The Mules committed a second consecutive turnover and Powell made them pay as Reynolds found Powell down low with only a couple ticks left on the clock. Powell's layup was good and E-town went into the half down 31-24 after outscoring Muhlenberg 18-10 in the second quarter.

The Mules attempted to get away from the Jays, but Reynolds was not letting it happen. Lydia Lawson found Reynolds off an inbounds play down low where the freshman sank the jumper. Next possession, Ruth took a feed on the left block. She drew the double team, which meant the central defender in the Mules' 2-3 zone defense had left her position. Reynolds occupied the space and Ruth found her for the easy two that got Elizabethtown within five, the closest it had been since the first quarter.

From that point, Muhlenberg clamped down defensively and found its' stroke from the outside. Brandi Vallely came down and hit a three, her only one of the game. She was one of four players for the Mules to reach double figures.

Reynolds responded with the three-point play to cut it to single digits again, but Rachel Plotke hit one of her game-high six treys to put it right back to ten just seconds after Reynolds drained her foul shot.

Abby Beyer connected from beyond the arc that, for the second time in the quarter, made it a five-point game. From there, it was a 13-4 run for Muhlenberg to end the quarter, which began with the Mules' floor leader, Vallely. She made it a seven-point lead and after an E-town turnover, Gary's bucket pushed it to nine.

Elizabethtown's turnovers began to add up and Muhlenberg was converting the other way. Muhlenberg finished the game with a 25-8 advantage in points off turnovers. Vallely's steal and layup ended the third quarter scoring and the Mules took a 56-42 lead into the fourth.

Reynolds, Christ, and Powell combined to score the first nine points of the fourth quarter for the Blue Jays, but Muhlenberg had already drained three treys and the lead had expanded to 20 before Lawson was the first player other than Reynolds, Christ, or Powell to score for EC. Lawson stopped and popped for three and swished her only trey of the game.

Muhlenberg led by 19 in the final seconds before Jill Freeman sank a jumper from the right side with three seconds remaining in the game. The Mules went to 10-0 with the 73-56 win.

Reynolds led Elizabethtown with her second career double-double. She recorded 17 points and 11 rebounds. Ruth added 11 points and six boards, and Christ had 10 off the bench. E-town won the battle on the boards, 42-38, and had 19 offensive rebounds. Muhlenberg registered ten blocked shots, the most against the Blue Jays this season.

The women's basketball team will host Hood on Friday, December 29 at Thompson Gymnasium for a 5 p.m. non-conference matchup.


 
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Players Mentioned

Abby Beyer

#3 Abby Beyer

G
5' 8"
Junior
Marissa Emlet

#12 Marissa Emlet

G
5' 8"
Sophomore
Jill Freeman

#10 Jill Freeman

G
5' 5"
Sophomore
Lydia Lawson

#2 Lydia Lawson

G
5' 3"
Sophomore
Mikayla Ruth

#14 Mikayla Ruth

F
5' 9"
Sophomore
Veronica Christ

#22 Veronica Christ

G/F
5' 9"
Freshman
Emma Powell

#35 Emma Powell

F
5' 10"
Freshman
Ashley Reynolds

#21 Ashley Reynolds

F
5' 9"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Abby Beyer

#3 Abby Beyer

5' 8"
Junior
G
Marissa Emlet

#12 Marissa Emlet

5' 8"
Sophomore
G
Jill Freeman

#10 Jill Freeman

5' 5"
Sophomore
G
Lydia Lawson

#2 Lydia Lawson

5' 3"
Sophomore
G
Mikayla Ruth

#14 Mikayla Ruth

5' 9"
Sophomore
F
Veronica Christ

#22 Veronica Christ

5' 9"
Freshman
G/F
Emma Powell

#35 Emma Powell

5' 10"
Freshman
F
Ashley Reynolds

#21 Ashley Reynolds

5' 9"
Freshman
F