ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – A strong start was not enough as the Ursinus College women's basketball team fell against No. 22 Elizabethtown College, 72-46 on Monday evening from Thompson Gymnasium.

 
With the defeat, Ursinus moves to 7-4 overall while the Blue Jays improved to 9-1 overall and currently sit at 4-0 within the Landmark Conference. Senior forward Chinwe Irondi led all scorers with her sixth double-double of the season behind 28 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Madison Smith added six points and four rebounds, while classmate Makenna Foder finished with a game-high five assists.

 
The Bears jumped out to an early 6-0 lead with 7:22 remaining in the first stanza as Ironid and Smith combined for the first three baskets for Ursinus. After a three-pointer from the Blue Jays, Smith connected on back-to-back layup to stretch the Bears lead to 10-5. With 3:42 left in the period, junior Ava Possenti recorded a steal leading to a fast break layup from Foder to give Ursinus a 12-7 advantage. Elizabethtown closed out the period on a 6-2 run, but Ursinus still led 14-13 heading into the second stanza. Each team traded baskets to open the second period, but a three-pointer and a layup from the Blue Jays extended their lead to 20-16 with 7:10 remaining in the half. Elizabethtown increased their advantage to double digits, 28-18 until Irondi connected on a jump shot at the 3:29-mark. The Blue Jays ended the half on a 5-2 run and held a 33-22 lead at the halftime break.

 
Ursinus scored the first three points of the second half as Possenti connected on a free throw and Ironid knocked down a jump shot to cut the Blue Jays lead to 33-25. Elizabethtown responded with a three-pointer and a 6-2 run to capture a 42-27 advantage with 6:05 remaining in the third quarter. Both teams traded baskets over the remainder of the quarter, but a pair of three-pointers from Elizabethtown's Cyleigh Wilson gave the Blue Jays a 49-35 lead heading into the final stanza. Irondi scored the first six points for Ursinus in the final period cutting the Bears deficit to 51-41 with 8:32 remaining in the contest. Elizabethtown responded with a 15-0 run, before a layup from Irondi made the score 66-43 with 5:13 to play. The Blue Jays closed out the contest on a 6-3 run to capture the 72-43 road victory.
 
 
Ursinus shot 31.3% (21-of-67) from the field, 0-of-11 from deep, and 44.4% (4-of-9) at the free throw line. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays shot 50% (30-of-60) from the floor, 29.2% (7-fo-24) from three-point range, and 83.3% (5-of-6) at the charity stripe. Elizabethtown forced a total of 20 Ursinus turnovers and were credited with 22 points from those extra chances. Elizabethtown's Summer McNulty led the Blue Jays with a team-high 18 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
 

The Bears will return to action on Saturday, January 4th as they host Widener University for a 1 p.m. start from Helfferich Hall.