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Complete
Box Score
EDINBORO, PA – Relying on freshman is
never easy, but on Wednesday night the Edinboro women’s
basketball team defeated Kutztown, 77-68, in a PSAC crossover
contest thanks to a strong showing from freshman Kelsey Conklin.
The 6’1” forward, from nearby General
McLane High School, keyed a late 12-4 run in the first half as
Edinboro rallied from an 11-point deficit at 24-13 with 6:40 to
play, to 28-25 at the half. More importantly, she forced Kutztown
to pull leading scorer and rebounder Mercedes Van Wagner, who was
unable to defend her.
With the burly 6’1” forward out of
the game, things opened up inside for Rachel Johnson, who dropped
in a career-high 22 points. Johnson got the 12-4 run started with
a layup, and Conklin followed with three layups. Then it was
Johnson’s turn, as the 5’11” junior added another
layup. Conklin closed the first half scoring with a layup with
just under a minute to play.
Interestingly, Johnson’s baskets were her
lone points of the first half. She erupted for 18 points in the
second half as Edinboro outscored the Golden Bears, 52-40. Rae
Sherred added 14 points, part of a career-high 19-point effort.
Kutztown maintained the lead until Conklin
knocked down a jumper to give the Fighting Scots a 41-39 lead with
15:19 to play. That started a 13-2 burst as Edinboro pulled ahead
by 11 points at 52-41 with just over ten minutes to play. Sherred
scored six points and Johnson had five during the period. Kutztown
would close to within four points with five minutes remaining, but
a three-pointer by Sherred ended any comeback hopes.
Oddly enough, Kutztown shot 55.1 percent from
the floor while Edinboro finished the night at 36.9 percent, and
the Golden Bears held a 41-27 advantage on the glass. But the
Fighting Scots made 23 of 26 free throws compared to 12 of 20 for
Kutztown, and the Golden Bears were guilty of 26 turnovers, while
Edinboro had eight.
Johnson made 8 of 11 field goals and was 5 of 5
at the line, adding a career-high tying 7 rebounds and 4 steals.
Sherred’s 19 points included a 4-for-11 performance on
three-pointers. Conklin added 15 points, with Kelly Calderone
dropping in 14 markers. While the senior struggled from the floor,
making just 2 of 10 shots, she was 9 of 10 from the line, adding 6
assists and 3 steals. She moved into 16th place in career scoring
with 1,113 points.
Edinboro is now 6-3 and riding a three-game
winning streak. Kutztown falls to 3-7. The Fighting Scots are back
in action on December 29-30, hosting the Edinboro Invitational.
Edinboro faces a powerful Glenville State team the first night,
followed by another WVIAC squad, West Liberty State, the next day. |
