Women's Basketball Rallies Past Hagerstown

ARNOLD, MD. – The Anne Arundel Community College women's basketball team rallied past visiting Hagerstown, 53-51, in NJCAA women's basketball action at Jenkins Gym Sunday afternoon. Leila Townsend led three Riverhawks in double digit scoring with 13 points.

Isabella Papaleonti finished just shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds to go with a career-high seven steals. Jada Turner added 10 points and a pair of steals as the Riverhawks combined for 15 takeaways in the game.

AACC led by five headed into the fourth quarter but gave up the lead to Hagerstown as the Hawks went on a 14-1 run midway through the frame. A timely three-pointer from Turner brought AACC within three, and Sydney Dorsey brought the Riverhawks within two with a jumper after conceding a layup at the other end.

Papaleonti stole the ball and converted a layup with 2:55 left to bring AACC within one, 48-47. Townsend sank a pair of free throws with 2:15 left and followed with a layup off a Hawks' turnover to put AACC back in the driver's seat, 51-48, with less than two minutes to play.

Hagerstown hit three of the next four free throws to tie the game, 51-51, with 23 seconds left. AACC called time out to advance the ball, allowing Papaleonti to hold the ball and run down the shot clock before rolling in a layup from the right side for a 53-51 lead with nine ticks remaining on the clock.

Hagerstown then called timeout to advance the ball on the table side, but a long-range three careened off the rim into the hands of Brandy Middleton to close out the game. Middleton had seven rebounds and three assists in the game after getting into foul trouble early.

Hagerstown outrebounded AACC at a 59-36 margin, and scored 18 second-chance points on 19 offensive boards in the game. The Hawks turned the ball over 36 times, leading to 23 points off turnovers for AACC.

The Riverhawks return to action on Wednesday, January 18, in a 5 p.m. Region 20 game at CCBC Catonsville.