Women’s Basketball Pulls Past Pioneers, 77-57
ALTOONA, Pa. – Penn State Altoona women's basketball overwhelmed visiting Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Alfred State College on Saturday afternoon, when the Lions recorded their third conference win of the season in a 77-57 victory over the Pioneers in Adler Arena.
The Lions' (8-5, 3-1 AMCC) win was keyed by a steady performance at both ends of the court. Offensively, Penn State Altoona found success from deep by making 11 three-pointers, tying for the ninth-most in a game in program history. Defensively, the team limited Alfred State (7-7, 2-3 AMCC) to a 35.2 percent field goal percentage, including just 4-for-15 from three-point range.
Penn State Altoona also posted a 55-37 advantage in rebounds and led 20-4 in points off turnovers.
Avana Sayles (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) produced her eighth double-double of the season for the Lions, scoring a team-high 17 points and grabbing a game-high 18 rebounds, a total that ties for the sixth-most in a game in team history. Jaidyn McCracken (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) contributed 16 points, including hitting four three-pointers, and added three assists.
Lanie Wilt (Altoona, PA/Altoona) came close to a triple-double, finishing with 15 points, nine rebounds, and a game-best eight assists. Madison Rusnica (DuBois, PA/DuBois) chipped in 13 points, five boards, and three assists.
Alfred State's Alyssa Auer led all scorers in the game with 18 points, while Sarah Somers finished with 12 points for the Pioneers.
A layup from Rusnica and three-pointer by McCracken helped Penn State Altoona to a 5-4 lead three minutes into the contest, and back-to-back jumpers from Sayles put the home team ahead 9-6. Late in the quarter, Wilt and McCracken connected on three-pointers to make it 17-10, and a McCracken layup capped the scoring for the period and put Penn State Altoona up by nine, 19-10.
Wilt opened the second-quarter scoring with a three-pointer just 15 seconds in, and four buckets from Sayles put the Lions up by 16, 30-14. Another basket from Sayles later in the quarter gave Penn State Altoona a 20-point lead, 37-17, and McCracken's layup with 37 seconds left in the half made it 39-19. Alfred State tacked two foul shots on to their point total, and the Lions took a 39-21 advantage into halftime.
Penn State Altoona kept adding to its lead in the third quarter, starting with two Rusnica free throws and another McCracken three-pointer. Two layups from Halle Kuzminski (Warren, PA/Warren) helped get the Lions to a 50-28 lead midway through the quarter, and Ellie Irvin (Calvin, PA/Southern Huntingdon) hit from three-point range at 3:58 to make it 53-32. Later, three-pointers from Irvin and McCracken, a jump shot from Wilt, and a last-second layup by Rusnica set Penn State Altoona's lead at 24 points, 64-40, by the quarter's end.
The Lions seized their largest lead of the afternoon early in the fourth quarter, when layups from Rusnica and Wilt put Penn State Altoona ahead by 28 points, 68-40, by the 9:29 mark. Allyana Stephens (Johnstown, PA/Bishop McCort) drilled a three-pointer just over two minutes later to give the Lions a 71-43 advantage, and Wilt's trey three minutes after that made it 74-40. Hannah Glunt (Clearfield, PA/Clearfield) connected from beyond the arc with 52 seconds remaining, and Penn State Altoona finished with a 20-point win, 77-57, over their conference opponent.
The Lions ended the game with statistical advantages over Alfred State in assists (20-9), second-chance points (20-11), and fastbreak points (13-8).
Penn State Altoona women's basketball continues its schedule at home next Wednesday, January 14, when the Lions welcome AMCC opponent Carlow University to town for a 7 p.m. tipoff in Adler Arena.
