Hackettstown, NJ - The Cairn women's basketball team started off the 2017 calendar year with a 62-36 loss against the Centenary Cyclones on the road. The Cyclones scored the first bucket of the game and while the Highlanders tied the score on two occasions at 2-2 and 4-4, the home team never looked back winning by a 26-point margin.

The Cyclones held a deceive 56-34 advantage on the boards in the contest.

As mentioned the game was tied early at 4-4 after Payton Emerick connected on a jumper less than three minutes into the contest. After the Emerick bucket, the Cyclones went on a 10-0 run to take a 14-4 lead before holding a 16-8 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

The Cyclones continued their strong play into the second quarter with a 12-4 lead to start the second period. After a Charlotte Camp layup ended the run the Cyclones rattled off six more points to end the half and give Centenary a 32-14 lead heading into the half.

The Highlanders could not mount the comeback necessary in the second-half to get back in the game. Cairn pulled the game to as close at 18 early in the half, but the Cyclones stretched their lead to as many as 35 midway through the fourth quarter en route to the 62-36 victory.

Kendra Stum (12 points) and Aigner Bookard (10) accounted for 61.1% of Cairn's total points with 22 between the duo in the loss.

Cairn struggled from the field, shooting just 25.8% on a 16-62 effort. Included in the 21.4% mark, the Highlanders fired 2-16 from beyond the arc including missing 14-straight threes to begin the game.

With the 62-36 loss the Highlanders fall back to .500 on the season with a 4-4 overall record and a 1-2 mark in the CSAC.

Cairn will next take the court on Thursday when they travel to Immaculata, game time slated for 6:00 p.m.