Saint Elizabeth women's basketball found a way to turn things around after a tough loss last week to defeat the Falcons of Cedar Crest College. The Eagles improve to 6-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play. The Falcons drop to 0-5 on the year and the loss marks their 3rd straight conference defeat.


The Falcons got out to a hot start, embarking on an 11-4 run to open the game, capped off by a jumper with six minutes remaining in the opening quarter. Cedar Crest led by as many as eight, 13-5, following a mid-range jump shot. The Eagles answered back with a 10-0 run to take a 15-13 lead. The run was finished off by a layup from sophomore Nacheca Joseph with 3:18 left on the clock. Each team would lead one more time before the end of the stanza and junior Destiny Battle knocked down a free throw with 1:01 remaining to tie the contest at 17-17 at the end of the first quarter.


After the teams traded one-point leads in the early stages of the second frame, back-to-back triples from Cedar Crest would give the Falcons a 25-19 advantage on the scoreboard. Cedar Crest held that five-point lead until later in the quarter as Saint Elizabeth closed the frame on a 6-0 run over the final 3:28 to carry a 29-28 lead into the half.


The Eagles would push its margin to double-digits in the third quarter, thanks to a 16-2 run to extend the score to 49-35. The run included two sets of consecutive layups in the paint by senior Aryanna Baytops. The Falcons would convert a three pointer late to cut the deficit to 12, 49-37, but a layup by sophomore Ahjionae Cobb was the last basket of the stanza, which gave Saint Elizabeth a 51-37 advantage heading into the final quarter.


The Falcons would make one last charge in the fourth frame, as the visitors would trim the margin to as few as 12 in the early parts of the quarter and then cutting it to 11 before the final buzzer after a layup with 31 seconds to play to make the score, 65-54, the eventual final. Saint Elizabeth was dominant with their inside scoring, outscoring Cedar Crest 38-18 in the paint. They also outran their opponent with 19 fast break points compared to only 3 Cedar Crest fast break points.


Saint Elizabeth enjoyed a balanced scoring attack with four Eagles achieving double figures. Battle finished with 16 points, 9 steals, and 5 assists. Junior Yasminah White and freshman Mya Davis each scored 12 points. Baytops contributed 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals.


Your Eagles will finish this week on the road at Bryn Athyn College in Bryn Athyn, PA. Tip off is scheduled for 1pm in a true double header with the men's team playing at 3pm.