BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Northampton women's basketball saw a 19-point 4th quarter lead evaporate to just one, but the Spartans were able to hold on for a 53-52 victory over USCAA member Central Penn College on Tuesday evening at the Spartan Center.
The Spartans extended their winning streak to 6 games, but it wasn't without some unanticipated excitement down the stretch. "We were able to pull off the victory, but it wasn't pretty," remarked Head Coach
Terrence Bomar, "we just didn't do a good job closing out the game when we had the big lead ... but, in the end we were able to make the plays we needed to get the win."
Central Penn outscored the Spartans 19-4 in the 4th quarter to close the gap, forcing a number of Northampton turnovers with their pressure defense.
Northampton out-rebounded the Knights 60-38 and limited Central Penn to just 27% shooting from the field, but committed 31 turnovers. "We need to do a better job taking care of the ball," lamented Bomar, "we need to value each possession."
Xion Spence (Bushkill, PA/East Stroudsburg North) scored 16 points and grabbed 18 rebounds and
Kania Day (East Stroudsburg, PA/East Stroudsburg South) added 16 points and 8 rebounds to lead Northampton.
The win moves the 15th ranked Spartans to 16-6 overall, while Central Penn falls to 16-6.
The Spartans are back in action on Saturday at noon when they host Middlesex College in a Region 19 crossover match-up.
