PHILADELPHIA – The #24/12 Thomas Jefferson University women's basketball team (17-2, 9-0 CACC) held visiting Alliance (2-13, 2-7 CACC) to single digits in three of the four quarters in earning a 72-32 triumph on Saturday afternoon. It was the Rams' fifth straight victory.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The score was even at two when Jefferson pulled ahead with a 13-3 run. Haley Meinel led the way with six points. Alliance ended the period with a layup just before the buzzer and the score was 15-7 entering the second.
 
Alliance closed the gap to seven (18-11) with 7:55 left in the second quarter. The Rams then tallied 14 in a row to finish the half, taking a 32-11 advantage into halftime. Emma Kuczynski sparked the surge with seven points. Jefferson limited the visitors to just 16.7% shooting (5-of-30) over the first two frames.
 
Alliance began the third quarter with a three-pointer but the Rams continued to pull away, answering with 17 consecutive points to up the margin to 35 (49-14) with 3:52 on the clock. Meinel netted eight points to lead the run. The difference remained over 30 for the remainder of the contest.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Sam Yencha: 18 points on 9-of-13 shooting, 10 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 assist
Haley Meinel: 18 points, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 rebound
Emma Kuczynski: 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting, 6 rebounds, 1 steal
Morgan Robinson: 5 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals
 
JEFFERSON AS A TEAM
FG: 27-of-70 (38.6%)
3PT: 5-of-16 (31.3%)
FT: 13-of-20 (65.0%)
 
NOTES
- Sam Yencha picked up her fourth consecutive double-double.
- Emma Kuczynski's 18 points tied her career high.
- Haley Meinel took over third place on Jefferson's all-time steals list with the 233^rd of her career.
- Morgan Robinson grabbed her 500^th career rebound.
 
UP NEXT
The Rams head across town to take on Chestnut Hill for the second time this season on Wednesday, January 25^th at 6 p.m.