ALFRED, N.Y. – The Penn State Altoona women's basketball team earned its fourth Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference win of the season in commanding fashion on Saturday, when the Lions topped conference opponent Alfred State College 70-40 in the Orvis Gymnasium.

Penn State Altoona (7-7, 4-1 AMCC) started and finished strong, outscoring Alfred State (3-11, 2-3 AMCC) 18-3 in the first quarter and later posting a 16-8 scoring advantage over the Pioneers in the fourth. The Lions' defense kept Alfred State in check throughout the contest, holding the Pioneers to just a 16.1 percent field goal percentage.

Jess Burns (South Fayette, PA/South Fayette), Jaidyn McCracken (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis), and Avana Sayles (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) scored 14 points apiece for Penn State Altoona. Burns also recorded six rebounds, two assists, and two steals, McCracken had five rebounds, two assists, and two steals, and Sayles totaled a team-best nine rebounds while contributing two assists.

Madison Rusnica (DuBois, PA/DuBois) brought eight points, five rebounds, and two assists off the bench. Raniyah Green (Hillside, NJ/East Orange/Hillside) tallied seven points, six boards, and a game-best five assists, and Jordan Bisignani (Pittsburgh, PA/Peters Township) finished with six points, four rebounds, and three assists.

Jordan Niles led Alfred State in scoring with seven points, while Taylor Benjamin had six points and a game-high 13 rebounds for the Pioneers.

Penn State Altoona ran up an 18-3 advantage by the end of the first quarter, during which the Lions held Alfred State without a made field goal. Two Sayles baskets and a Green jumper gave the Lions a 6-2 lead four minutes into the game, and Rusnica's layup and Burns' jump shot made it 10-3 by 4:27. Haley Hicks (Wylie, TX/Wylie East) made two free throws before McCracken nailed a three-pointer at 2:19 to give Penn State Altoona a 15-3 lead. Late in the quarter, the Lions got a Rusnica free throw and McCracken bucket to establish a 15-point lead by the period's conclusion.

Two baskets from Sayles and a putback score from McCracken made it 24-4 early in the second quarter. Alfred State lowered its deficit to 12 points at 3:14, after a Taylor Searle layup cut the Lions' lead to 28-16. But Bisignani and Burns responded with back-to-back three-pointers, and after Hicks' layup at 1:42, Penn State Altoona ultimately took a 36-19 lead into halftime.

The Lions boosted their lead back to 20 points, 39-19, on a Burns trey a minute and a half into the second half. Later, McCracken made another three-pointer to give Penn State Altoona a 22-point lead, 50-28, and foul shots by Burns and Rusnica made it 54-28 with 48 seconds left in the third quarter. Alfred State tacked four points on to its total in the waning seconds of the period, and Penn State Altoona headed into the final period with a 54-32 advantage.

McCracken connected from beyond the arc again at 7:06 of the fourth quarter to give the Lions a 25-point edge, 60-35. Jump shots by Burns and Sayles and a free throw from Rusnica got Penn State Altoona's lead at 30 points, 65-35, before Skylar McCall (Cleveland Heights, OH/Cleveland Heights) made a three-pointer at 4:11 that gave the Lions their largest lead of the game, 68-35. Rusnica's basket off of her offensive rebound gave Penn State Altoona 70 points with 57 seconds to go, and the Lions finished with a 30-point conference victory.

Penn State Altoona finished with a 43-33 advantage over Alfred State in rebounding, and the Lions also outscored the Pioneers 20-10 in the paint and 14-8 off turnovers.

The Lions return home for their next game, when they will welcome AMCC opponent Carlow University to the Adler Arena on Wednesday, January 15, for a 7 p.m. matchup.