ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Cedar Crest College basketball team secured its sixth-straight victory with a 59-51 triumph over Keystone College in a United East Conference-Skye Division tilt at Lees Gymnasium on Wednesday night.
The Falcons built a 5-2 lead in the first quarter after first-year
Megan Perrine (Mount Vision, N.Y./Gilbertsville-Mount Upton) converted a layup with 7:38 on the clock. The Giants responded with a 6-0 run, capped off by a layup from junior Malaysia Bryant (Harlem, N.Y.) with 3:04 to play in the opening frame. Cedar Crest went onto net the final four points to hold a 9-8 margin at the end of one.
After Keystone scored to start the second stanza to make the score 10-9, the Falcons embarked on a 9-0 run, which was finished off by a layup from first-year
Caylie Long (Powder Springs, Ga./Hillgrove) to put the home team ahead by eight, 18-10, with six minutes to go before the half. The Giants trimmed the margin to three, 18-15, but Cedar Crest replied with eight-straight points to push the lead to double-digits, 26-15, with under three minutes remaining in the half. Back-to-back buckets made it a seven-point contest, 26-19, and then junior
Bryanna Rivera (Reading, Pa./Greenfield (Mass.)) knocked down a three for the Falcons right before the buzzer to give Cedar Crest a 10-point advantage at the break, 29-19.
Keystone initiated the scoring in the third quarter with a free throw, which was then answered by a 6-0 spurt to give the Falcons a 15-point lead, following two successful free throws by Rivera to push the score to 35-20 with 7:59 on the clock. The Giants then went on an 18-4 run to tie the game at 38 with 1:37 remaining. A layup by Perrine was the final basket of the stanza as Cedar Crest held a 40-38 lead with one quarter left.
The fourth quarter was tight as the margin hung around single digits for the entire 10 minutes. Keystone was able to pull within one, 50-49, after a jump shot from junior Bry Hicks (Lancaster, Pa.) with 2:24 left in regulation. The Falcons then finished on a 9-2 run to hang on for the eight-point win, 59-51.
Long notched a season-high 27 points on 11-for-13 shooting to go along with five rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal. Rivera added 11 points and two boards. Sophomore
Jordan McGhee (Copperas Cove, Texas/Copperas Cove) chipped in eight points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Perrine recorded six points, eight caroms, three assists, one block, and two steals. Junior
Rachel Bilger (Philadelphia, Pa./Upper Dublin) registered five points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and one steal. Graduate student
Nicole Sachman (Niles, Mich./Brandywine) closed the scoring with two points to go along with five rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
Hicks paced Keystone with 19 points, eight rebounds, one assist, and four steals. First-year Anyah Ortiz (Reading, Pa.) contributed 13 points, two rebounds, and five steals.
Cedar Crest (7-6 overall, 6-4 United East-Skye Division) and Keystone (5-11 overall, 3-6 United East-Skye Division) will square off in a rematch on Saturday, January 20 at 1:00 p.m., taking place at Keystone College.
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