Crusaders Handed Second Loss of Season by Howard CC

Front Royal, VA - Christendom Women's basketball suffered their second loss of the season to Howard Community College by a score of 71-55 on Saturday, January 20th.

The opening quarter of Saturday's game went back and forth featuring several lead changes. The Lady Crusaders managed to tie the game at 16 a side before entering the second quarter thanks to a mid-range bucket from Catherine Thomas (Junior/Corpus Christi, TX). Christendom continued to battle into the second quarter but trailed most of the time. Although the team was able to hold Howard to only 14 points in the second they were only able to score 7-points of their own leading to a 30-23 score at the half.

Christendom's deficit only grew in the second half. Howard's lead, fueled by stellar shooting quickly jumped to double digits. At the end of the third quarter, Christendom was behind by the score of 48-32. Despite momentum generated by Mary Pennefather's (Freshman/Manassas, VA) long-range threes in the fourth quarter, it was too little too late for the Lady Crusaders. Howard's impressive defensive performance stymied Christendom's offense for a season low of 55 points. A combination of missed scoring opportunities and not making key stops contributed to a 71-55 loss. 

The Crusaders had several players finish with impressive numbers. Thomas led Christendom in scoring as she posted another double-double with 32 points and 15 rebounds. Pennefather added a double-double of her own with 17 points and 13 boards. 

Up Next - The Crusaders travel to the 9-4 Washington Adventist Shock on Monday, January 22nd for a 7:00pm game.