CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. – The Cedar Crest College basketball team suffered a 77-59 setback to Clarks Summit University on Tuesday night in a Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) contest at Huckaby Gymnasium.

Senior Alison Aten (Streetsboro, Ohio) netted 20 points on 7-for-14 shooting to lead the Lady Defenders. She also finished with two rebounds, four assists, one block, and one steal. Graduate student Elizabeth Singleton (Schenectady, N.Y.) pitched in a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds while adding five assists and four steals. Sophomore Serene Calderon (Corfu, N.Y.) tallied 17 points, seven boards, eight assists, three steals, and a block while first-year Ashlyn Messinger (Fredericksburg, Pa.) recorded 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals.

Senior Ashley Wilson (Norwalk, Conn./Norwalk) paced the Falcons with 20 points, five rebounds, five assists, and five steals. First-year Jordan McGhee (Copperas Cove, Texas/Copperas Cove) added a season-high 19 points to go along with eight rebounds. Sophomore Rachel Bilger (Philadelphia, Pa./Upper Dublin) was the final Cedar Crest student-athlete in double-figures scoring with 10 points and added three caroms, two assists, a block, and a steal. First-year Haivynn Kovach (Virginia Beach, Va./Churchland) registered eight points, four rebounds, two steals, one block, and a team-high seven assists.

Neither team led by more than five points in the first 6:22 of the first quarter that featured three ties and three lead changes. Clarks Summit closed the frame on a 16-0 run in the final five minutes to give the hosts a 23-9 advantage heading into the second period.

The Falcons responded in the second quarter and cut the deficit to as few as four after Bilger sunk a pair of free throws to make the score, 31-27. The Lady Defenders answered back with 11-straight points to push the margin back to double digits as it entered the halftime intermission with a 13-point lead, 42-29.

Cedar Crest trailed by as many as 24 in the third quarter, but the Falcons would get as close as 15 on a jumper by McGhee with 8:44 remaining in the final stanza, before the game ended in the 77-59 final  

Cedar Crest (0-3 overall, 0-1 CSAC) will next host Keystone College on Wednesday, November 30 at 7:00 p.m. Clarks Summit (2-3 overall, 1-0 CSAC) returns to action at Penn. State Harrisburg on Saturday, November 26 at 5:00 p.m.

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