by Casey Burinskas

ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's basketball team picked up its third straight win Wednesday night in the Adler Arena, when the Lions posted a lopsided victory, 79-51, over Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Carlow University.

Penn State Altoona (9-5, 4-1 AMCC) charged out to an 18-7 advantage by the end of the first quarter and never looked back, leading by as many as 38 points during the second half. The Lions forced 23 turnovers by Carlow (1-13, 1-5 AMCC) while holding the visitors to a field goal percentage of just 29.6.

Penn State Altoona got a game-high 20 points from Lanie Wilt (Altoona, PA/Altoona), who also provided five rebounds and a game-best five steals. Jaidyn McCracken (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) scored 15 points while grabbing six rebounds.

Avana Sayles (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) notched her ninth double-double of the season for the Lions, finishing with 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with four assists and four steals. Allyana Stephens (Johnstown, PA/Bishop McCort) came off the bench to score 14 points, including going 4-for-8 from three-point range.

Carlow's Emari Stinnette led the visitors in scoring with 11 points.

In the first quarter, Altoona was quick to strike first with Sayles placing a layup off an assist from Halle Kuzminski (Warren, PA/Warren), and baskets from McCracken, Sayles, and Wilt extended the Lions' lead to 8-0 four minutes into the game. Later, Sayles had another drive at the basket for two points, followed by McCracken's layup that made it 13-7 with 1:53 left in the quarter. In the final minute, Stephens hit a three-pointer and Kuzminski made a pair of free throws to give Altoona an 18-7 lead heading into the second.

Altoona controlled most of the second quarter, only giving Carlow minimal chances to score. Wilt found the net first with a layup, followed by McCracken landing a three-pointer. Soon after, McCracken struck again with another three-pointer to establish a 19-point lead, 28-9. Madison Rusnica (DuBois, PA/DuBois) put up two layups, before Sayles converted a steal into points to give the Lions a 34-14 advantage. With 27 seconds left in the quarter, Stephens nailed a three-pointer with an assist from Rusnica, and Altoona had a 37-18 cushion at halftime.

The Lions were able to land a total of 23 points in the third quarter, starting with Sayles and Wilt both making jump shots within seconds of each other. McCracken put up more points with a layup to maintain aggressive plays, and the scoring kept piling in as Stephens made her third three-pointer of the night, which gave the Lions a 50-22 lead. A Carlow foul led to Rusnica making two free throws to push Altoona to a score of 54-27. Altoona forced multiple Carlow turnovers, which allowed the Lions to take advantage and continue pulling ahead. Wilt made two more jump shots to end the third with a score of 60-33 in the Lions' favor.

Going into the fourth, Wilt struck first with a three-pointer, and McCracken followed the same rhythm by putting up one of her own. Sayles made a layup for her final points of the game, and another Wilt three-pointer gave Altoona a 38-point lead, 71-33, at 7:53. Stephens found her way back on the scoreboard with her fourth three-pointer of the night, and Elizabeth Painter (Connellsville, PA/Connellsville) added to the point total with a trey of her own to make it 79-42. Carlow was able to put up a few shots and add to its score, but Altoona sealed the win, 79-51.

On Saturday, January 17, the Lions will face off against AMCC opponent La Roche University in Pittsburgh at 2 p.m.