GREENSBURG, Pa. – Penn State Altoona women's basketball bounced back on Wednesday night, when the Lions earned a 77-52 victory over Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Pitt-Greensburg in the Chambers Hall Gym.

Penn State Altoona (17-7, 12-3 AMCC) never trailed and steadily built a comfortable lead throughout the game. The Lions were aided by a defensive performance that limited Pitt-Greensburg (1-23, 1-14 AMCC) to a 27.8 percent field goal percentage.

Penn State Altoona's Ellie Irvin (Calvin, PA/Southern Huntingdon) led her team in scoring with 18 points. Avana Sayles (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) notched her 14th double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Lanie Wilt (Altoona, PA/Altoona) recorded her first collegiate double-double with 17 points and 11 boards.

Jaidyn McCracken (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) added 12 points and three assists, and Haley Hicks (Wylie, TX/Wylie East) secured 10 rebounds to go along with six points.

Pitt-Greensburg's Ca'Mari Walden tied for the game-high in points with 18, while Addison Musto contributed 11 points for the Bobcats.

Penn State Altoona opened the first quarter with a 5-0 lead, thanks to a Sayles jump shot and McCracken three-pointer. Irvin connected from three-point range before another Sayles bucket and two Wilt foul shots gave the Lions a 12-8 advantage just over the halfway point of the period. Allyana Stephens (Johnstown, PA/Bishop McCort) nailed a three-pointer and Irvin tacked on a free throw, as Penn State Altoona took a 16-14 lead into the second quarter.

Two layups from Wilt got the Lions' scoring started in the second quarter, and baskets from Sayles and Hicks boosted Penn State Altoona's lead to 24-16 by the 5:19 mark. Sayles hit a jumper at 3:53 to make it 26-21, before two more Irvin three-pointers and layups from Sayles and McCracken increased the Lions' advantage to 36-24 with a minute left in the half. Pitt-Greensburg scored a layup within the final minute of the quarter, and Penn State Altoona held a 10-point lead, 36-26, at the intermission.

The Lions continued to ride their momentum in the third quarter, starting off with layups from Halle Kuzminski (Warren, PA/Warren) and Sayles. Two baskets by Wilt and two McCracken foul shots set Penn State Altoona's lead at 46-34 by 4:38, and more points from Wilt and Hicks extended their team's advantage to 15 points, 50-35, with 3:30 left in the third. After a free throw and jumper from Wilt, Irvin drilled another three-pointer at 1:52 to give Penn State Altoona a 20-point lead, 56-36, and the Lions ultimately finished the quarter up 56-39.

After a Sayles foul shot started the fourth quarter scoring, Penn State Altoona got points on six straight possessions, starting with a McCracken trey at the 6:34 mark. After that, Sayles, Wilt, Hicks, Irvin, and McCracken each made two-point shots to boost the Lions' lead to 70-46 with 4:11 to play. Later, Hannah Glunt (Clearfield, PA/Clearfield) made a layup before another Irvin three-pointer set Penn State Altoona's lead at 75-47. Kuzminski's layup with 37 seconds to go finished the scoring, and the Lions secured a strong 77-52 victory.

Penn State Altoona won the turnover battle with Pitt-Greensburg, committing just seven while forcing 14 by the Bobcats. The Lions also finished the night with scoring advantages over the home team in points off turnovers (19-5), second-chance points (19-8), and points in the paint (28-14).

Next up, Penn State Altoona women's basketball will close its regular season on the road this Saturday, February 21, when the Lions travel to face AMCC opponent Alfred State College at 2 p.m.