BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College women's basketball team struggled to find its shooting touch through three quarters and a fourth quarter rally came up short as the Greyhounds fell to visiting Juniata College, 63-53, in Landmark Conference action in Johnston Hall Saturday afternoon.
The Hounds dropped their second straight contest and are now 10-5 overall and 2-2 in Landmark Conference play.
Junior guard Maddie Capuano led Moravian with 15 points as she moved up to three spots to 24th in school history with 1,025 points after being honored prior to the game for surpassing the 1,000-point milestone. Capuano also had eight rebounds and four assists while junior guard Karlie Brogan added 12 points, seven rebounds, six steals, two assists and a pair of blocked shots.
Junior forward Nadine Ewald contributed nine points, nine rebounds, five steals and four assists while senior forward Ariana Caiati and senior guard Emily Walls each had five points with Walls grabbing five boards and Caiati adding two rebounds. Sophomore guard Jennifer McClave netted four points with two boards while freshman guard Kayla Yoegel scored three points.
The Blue and Grey were just 18-for-67 from the field, 5-for-21 beyond the three-point arc and 12-for-21 at the foul line. Moravian did force the Eagles into 23 turnovers in the contest.
McClave opened the scoring in the first quarter and two free throws from Capuano and a lay-up by Ewald had the Greyhounds leading 6-2 four minutes into the game. However, Juniata scored the next 10 points to build a 12-6 lead. Ewald and Walls connected on lay-ups to pull the Hounds within two points, but the Eagles would hold a 14-10 edge after 10 minutes of action.
Caiati opened the second quarter with a free throw to cut the deficit to three but the Eagles slowly pulled and headed to the locker room with a 31-18 advantage. Juniata pushed its lead to 18 points, 48-30, after 30 minutes of action.
Walls and Capuano hit back-to-back three-pointers to start the fourth quarter and Brogan followed with a jumper as Moravian closed within 10 points, 48-38, with 8:16 remaining. Capuano would bring the deficit down to seven points, 55-48, with a three-pointer at the 3:16 mark but the Blue and Grey could not get any closer.
The Greyhounds are scheduled to return to action on Wednesday, January 16 when the squad hosts Drew University in a Landmark Conference game tipping off at 7:00 p.m. in Johnston Hall.
