ALLENTOWN, Pa.- The Keystone College women's basketball team dropped a road contest to Cedar Crest College 78-49 Monday evening at Lees Gymnasium.
Cedar Crest (4–2) seized control early, opening the game on an 8–0 run and building a 25–8 lead after the first quarter behind blistering three-point shooting from Ella Bincarosky. The sophomore guard hit three triples in the opening minutes and finished with a game-high 24 points, including six made threes.
Keystone (0–7) settled in during the second quarter, posting its best offensive stretch of the game with 13 points in the frame. Krista Cortazar (Throop, Pa./Mid Valley) sparked the run with a corner three, and Jayda Price (York, Pa./William Penn) provided energy off the bench with eight points on 4-of-7 shooting.
Despite Keystone's improved efficiency, the Falcons matched the Giants shot for shot, taking a 50–21 lead into halftime.
After the break, Keystone produced one of its most balanced quarters of the season. Hailee Hackett (Carmicahel, Calif./Rio Americano) and Tayana Bibbins (Lincoln, Del./Sussex Technical) attacked the lane, and Cortazar buried another three as the Giants outscored Cedar Crest 14–13 in the third. Hackett finished the night with 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
Cortazar added 12 points, seven rebounds and a team-high three steals, while Phaneirra Barnett (Baltimore, Md./Edgewood) anchored the inside with nine boards and six points. Keystone pulled down an impressive 45 rebounds overall, generating 15 second-chance points.
Cedar Crest continued to counter every push. Analyse Rios delivered 19 points and five assists, and Samora Merchant powered the Falcons' interior play with 12 points and 11 rebounds. They scored 19 points off Keystone's 22 turnovers, a key factor in maintaining its lead.
Keystone closed strong in the fourth, highlighted by a deep three from Alex Roos-Farmer (Danbury, Conn./Danbury) and multiple aggressive drives from Hackett, but the early deficit proved too steep to overcome.
The Giants host King's College (Pa.) on Sunday, Nov. 30 at 2 p.m.
