PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Thiel Tomcat women's basketball team lost a heartbreaker Saturday to Juniata at La Roche College, 76-74.
 
Juniata, who received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament last season, jumped out to a 13-point lead with 12:30 left to play in the first half.
 
Thiel shaved Juniata's lead down to three points with a little less than six minutes remaining in the first half thanks to a 15-5 run. Senior guard Kelly Muffley (Salsburg, Pa./Western Reserve Academy) fueled the stretch with five points, including one three-pointer. Riian McCray (Dayton, Ohio/Trotwood-Madison) and Jaclyn Watkins (Aliquippa, Pa./Aliquippa) each contributed four points while senior forward Kelly Barzak (Warren, OH/Howland) chipped in with a layup. The Tomcats went into the locker room down by just two points, 37-35, after Barzak made a pair of shots from the charity stripe late in the first half.
 
Thiel came out strong in the second half and led by 11 points, 74-63, with just 2:05 left in regulation. However, the Eagles drained four three-pointers down the stretch and managed to pull of the win, 76-74.
 
Muffley and Barzak led the Tomcats with 23 points apiece. They also combined for 13 rebounds. McCray and Taylor Ketler (Dalton, Ohio/Dalton) each scored 12 points. McCray also grabbed a ridiculous game-high 20 rebounds to go along with six assists.
 
Jordan Speck and Kate McDonald each scored 17 points for the Eagles. McDonald also led her team with 11 rebounds.
 
The Tomcats (0-2) will be looking for their first win when they travel to Penn State Erie the Behrend College on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.