Women’s Basketball Rallies Past Juniata, 77-73
ALTOONA, Pa. – Penn State Altoona women's basketball overcame a second-half deficit to seize its first home win of the season on Thursday night, when the Lions defeated non-conference opponent Juniata College 77-73 in Adler Arena.
Juniata (0-3) led by as many as 13 points during the first half, and despite Penn State Altoona (2-1) narrowing the gap multiple times, the Eagles continued to fend off the Lions to stay in front. But Penn State Altoona finally broke through and took the lead midway through the fourth quarter, nursing it to the finish line.
The Lions' Lanie Wilt (Altoona, PA/Altoona) led all scorers on the night with 27 points, hitting eight shots from the floor and going 8-for-8 at the foul line. Avana Sayles (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) also had a big night scoring the basketball, finishing with 23 points on 11 field goals and a free throw while grabbing a team-high nine rebounds.
Jaidyn McCracken (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) added seven points, four assists, and two steals, Ellie Irvin (Calvin, PA/Southern Huntingdon) and Skylar McCall (Cleveland Heights, OH/Cleveland Heights) chipped in six points apiece off the bench, and Halle Kuzminski (Warren, PA/Warren) contributed five points and five rebounds.
Juniata got 26 points and 16 rebounds from Bri Bodtorf, while Leah Skweres provided 15 points off the bench.
Juniata came out on top by the conclusion of a high-scoring first quarter. Buckets from Wilt, Kuzminski, Allyana Stephens (Johnstown, PA/Bishop McCort), and Sayles helped Penn State Altoona jump out to a 9-2 lead less than three minutes in, but the Eagles used a 7-0 run to knot the score at 9-9, tying it on a pair of Bodtorf free throws at 6:15. A three-pointer and two-point jump shot from Wilt pushed the Lions back in front, 16-10, but Juniata struck back with threes by Bodtorf and Olivia Berg to even the score again. The Eagles closed the period on a 10-0 run and led 30-21.
Juniata kept its momentum rolling in the second quarter, going up by 13 points, 38-25, following a Bodtorf layup at 6:26. But Penn State Altoona chipped away at its deficit, using a Wilt three-pointer at 4:36 to make it a 10-point game, 40-30. McCall's jumper and Irvin's trey cut the difference to seven points, and another Wilt three-pointer, along with a last-second jumper from Sayles, got Penn State Altoona back to within four points, 44-40, by halftime.
Sayles opened the scoring in the third quarter with a jump shot to make it a two-point game, but Juniata was able to rebuild its lead after that. Bodtorf's layup at 6:50 put the Eagls back up by six, 50-44, and two Laney Gerdich foul shots at 5:14 made it a nine-point game, 54-45. Later in the quarter, a trio of buckets from Sayles helped get the Lions' deficit down to one, 56-55, but Bodtorf converted on a three-point play and Skweres hit a three-pointer to help Juniata finish the period with a 62-58 lead.
McCracken and Sayles made back-to-back shots to begin the fourth quarter, tying the score at 62-62, and two foul shots from Wilt kept things knotted, 64-64, by 7:33. Penn State Altoona finally shifted into the lead at 5:59, when a pair of McCall free throws gave the home team a 66-64 advantage. The Lions continued to maintain their lead deep into the quarter, despite Juniata three-pointers by Berg and Skweres that trimmed Penn State Altoona's advantage to two, 75-73. But the Lions got some breathing room, thanks to a McCall bucket with 18 seconds left, and Penn State Altoona held Juniata scoreless over the final 1:24 of the contest to seal the win.
Next up, Penn State Altoona women's basketball travels north to face non-conference foe Penn College on Monday, November 17 at 6 p.m.
