COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus women's basketball team battled throughout but eventually fell, 77-60, to No. 22 Elizabethtown College on Saturday afternoon.
 
 
With the loss, Ursinus fell to 6-5 overall, while the Blue Jays snapped a three-game skid and improved to 8-3 on the season. Junior Colleen Blackman paced the Bears' offense with 13 points, while senior forward Madison Smith added 12 points and eight rebounds. Senior Ava Possenti tallied 10 points, three assists and nine steals, finishing one shy of her career high of 10.
 
 
The Blue Jays opened the contest on a 10-0 run behind a pair of 3-pointers to gain an early advantage before a basket by junior Emma Afflerbach at the 6:15 mark. At the 4:17 mark, Possenti intercepted a pass and converted a free throw to cut the Bears' deficit to 13-5, but Elizabethtown answered with a 3-pointer to extend its lead to 11 with 4:04 remaining. After trading baskets, the Blue Jays connected on a jump shot with six seconds left in the frame to take a 22-12 lead into the second quarter.
 
 
Ursinus opened the second period on a 6-2 run to make the score 24-18 at the halfway point of the quarter. The Bears' defense sparked the run by holding Elizabethtown scoreless for nearly three minutes, highlighted by a pair of steals from Possenti. Senior Makenna Foder and sophomore Ruth O'Keeffe each connected on a pair of jump shots on consecutive possessions to trim the deficit to six. Elizabethtown closed the first half on a 15-6 run to take a 41-26 lead into halftime.
 
 
Blackman and Smith combined for the first six points of the third quarter for the Bears, but Elizabethtown answered each basket and held a 49-32 lead with 6:18 remaining. Over the next three minutes, Ursinus responded with an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to 51-40 at the 3:47 mark. First-year Anna Chimento scored the Bears' final three points of the third quarter, but Ursinus still trailed 54-43 entering the final period. Elizabethtown opened the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run and held a 65-45 lead with 6:56 remaining. The Bears trimmed the deficit to 16 points but could not overcome the gap and fell, 77-60.

 
Ursinus shot 38.3% (23 of 60) from the field, 15.4% (2 of 13) from 3-point range and 63.2% (12 of 19) from the free throw line. Elizabethtown shot 59.2% (29 of 49) from the floor, 61.5% (8 of 13) from beyond the arc and 68.8% (11 of 16) at the line. The Bears held a 27-22 advantage in points off turnovers, while the Blue Jays held a 34-29 edge on the glass. Elizabethtown's Cadence Anderson finished with a game-high 16 points, six rebounds and three assists.

 
The Bears return to action Monday, January 5th, when they host Penn State Brandywine for a 5 p.m. tipoff inside Helfferich Hall.