NORTH MANCHESTER, Indiana - On Saturday afternoon at Stauffer-Wolfe Arena in North Manchester, the Mount St. Joseph women's basketball team earned a 68–58 victory over Manchester University in HCAC play.
The game was tightly contested early, with the two teams deadlocked after the first quarter, before the Lions began to build separation in the second period and carried that momentum through the remainder of the contest.
Mount St. Joseph used balanced scoring to take control, getting strong contributions throughout the lineup. Karlee Mills led the way with 15 points, connecting on three shots from beyond the arc. Bella Crawford followed with 13 points, providing a consistent scoring presence, while Morgan Jenkins and Sam Price each added double figures to round out the Lions' offensive effort. MSJ shot efficiently from the floor and capitalized at the free throw line, knocking down the majority of their attempts.
Manchester stayed within striking distance behind Hannah Holmes, who finished with 14 points and nine rebounds. Hailee Kline and Kinsey Atkins added 11 points apiece for the Spartans, who made a late push in the fourth quarter. Despite outscoring the Lions in the final period, Manchester was unable to overcome the deficit built earlier in the game..
With the win the Lions moved to 4-1 in HCAC play this season, putting them in a three-way tie atop the league standings with Franklin and Transylvania. They will return to the court on Wednesday in a trip to Terre Haute, Indiana to take on the Rose-Hulman Fightin' Engineers. .
