ALLENTOWN, Pa. --- The Cedar Crest College Basketball team opened the 2019-20 season with a non-conference loss to Baruch College, 87-64 on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons dropped the first game of the year, starting off the season at 0-1.
 
The Falcons and Bearcats were close in the first quarter, jumping out to a 9-5 lead halfway through the quarter. Baruch would score on the next three possessions to tie the game. The Falcons would head into the second quarter trailing by four-points, 15-19. Cedar Crest was outscored in the second quarter, allowing the Bearcats tally 30 points to the Falcons 14 points, heading into halftime with a 20-point deficit, 29-49.
 
Coming out of the intermission, Cedar Crest played their best quarter of the game, scoring 25 points to Baruch's 22. The Black and Yellow would cut into the Bearcats lead, trailing 54-71 after three quarters. A low-scoring fourth quarter by both squads would allow Baruch to hold on to their lead and defeated the Falcons, 64-87.
 
Cedar Crest had two Falcons score in double-digits, with senior guard, Geminii Cabrera (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic), recording a double-double in the first game of her senior season, scoring a team-high 19 points with 10 rebounds. G. Cabrera also added three assists, two blocks and two steals in the game. Freshman guard Kelly Reid (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) recorded 12 points in her debut with the Black and Yellow, while distributing a team-high four assists and three rebounds.
 
Graduate student center, Meghan Gregory (Buckhorn, NM/Cliff), and senior guard, Venus Cabrera (Reading,Pa./Berks Catholic), each contributed eight points. Gregory added five rebounds and two assists and a blocked shot as V. Cabrera also brought down five rebounds and three assists. Sophomore guard Amiyah Peters (Plainville, Conn./Plainville) scored seven points and was credited with two assists, as junior forward Mackenzie Borger (Kresgeville, Pa./Pleasant Valley) scored six points off of two three-pointers while assists two baskets and blocking two shots. Recording two points each in the game were sophomore Tiesha Fortune-Saunders (West Haven, Conn./West Haven) and freshman guard Megan Piefer. Fortune-Saunders also grabbed three boards, an assist and a steal as Piefer scored her first-collegiate points as a Falcon and recorded a rebound.
 
The Falcons will return to action on Saturday, November 16, when they host the Immaculata University Mighty Macs in non-conference play. Tip-off is slated for a 2:00 PM start in Lees Gymnasium.