MIDDLETOWN, Pa- Penn State Harrisburg fell to Juniata 82-51 in its first contest of the 2011 season on Tuesday, Nov. 15.  The Eagles opened the game with a 17-2 run and despite a late first half charge by the Lions, they eventually succumbed to the sharpshooting visitors from the Landmark Conference.

After falling behind early, Penn State Harrisburg brought the deficit to a manageable ten points just before halftime.  Steph Yetter (Thompsontown, PA/East Juniata) scored eight of her 11 points before the break but Juniata's combination of Ashton Bankos (York, PA/York Catholic) and Meagan Raville (McSherrytown, PA/Delone Catholic) dropped nine points apiece on the blue and white and kept the Lions from drawing any nearer.

The Eagles went on to outscore the home team 44-25 in the second half and ended any chance of a Penn State Harrisburg comeback.  Five Juniata players recorded double digit points with Bankos leading the way with a game-high total of 15. 

Bishop McDevitt grad Monet Cunningham (Highspire, PA/Bishop McDevitt) led the way offensively for the Lions, scoring 12 points while Yetter was right behind her with 11 and seven rebounds.  Cumberland Valley alum Amanda Moyer (Carlisle, PA/Cumberland Valley) hit the boards hard for the blue and white and recorded a team-high nine rebounds.

Penn State Harrisburg's strongest post presence, Daril Foose (Altoona, PA/Altoona), was limited to playing just 18 minutes due to foul trouble.  She fouled out midway through the second half with only five points.

Not only did Juniata outshoot the Lions from the floor 43 percent to 33 percent, the Eagles were sharper from the free throw line as well, shooting 88 percent from the charity stripe compared to the home team's 63.

A nice crowd of over 120 fans came out to support Penn State Harrisburg in the ladies' season opener.  The next chance they'll have to see the Lions in action at the Capital Union Building comes on Tuesday, Nov. 22 when they face North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) foe Lancaster Bible.