ALTOONA, Pa. – Penn State Altoona women's basketball returned from its eight-day layoff Monday night, suffering a 94-66 loss to Division II opponent Lock Haven University in the Adler Arena.

The Lady Lions (1-2) struggled to find a rhythm at either end of the court, shooting only 28.8% from the field as a team while allowing Lock Haven (4-1) to hit 49.3% of its shots.

Alexis Cannistraci (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) led Penn State Altoona with 17 points and nine rebounds. Kaley Strittmatter (Williamsburg, PA/Penn Cambria) added a season-high 13 points, and Emily Lehman (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) chipped in a season-best eight points.

Lock Haven's Rileigh Devine led all scorers with 22 points, including a 5-for-7 performance from three-point range. Jalyn Shelton-Burleigh finished with 14 points, and Jordyn Kloster scored 13 points.

Lock Haven got out to a 21-14 lead by the end of the first quarter, helped by a trio of three-pointers from Devine. The Bald Eagles used a 22-12 scoring differential in the second quarter to go into the locker room up 43-26.

Penn State Altoona had its best scoring output in the third quarter, when it put 24 points on the board. But Lock Haven also posted its best quarter of the game on offense, producing 34 points to build a 77-50 advantage through three periods. The visitors had a narrow 17-16 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter to secure the 28-point win.

In the loss, the Lady Lions had a good showing at the free throw line, going 20-for-23 (87.0%) as a team. That included a 7-for-7 performance at the charity stripe by Cannistraci, as well as Sydney Snyder (New Enterprise, PA/Northern Bedford) going 4-for-4 at the line.

Penn State Altoona women's basketball will look to get back on track in its Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opener this Wednesday, November 28 at home. The Lady Lions will host nearby AMCC rival Mount Aloysius College in the Adler Arena for a game starting at 6:00 p.m.

Penn State Altoona Athletics will be conducting its annual Cereal Drive to support the campus-wide push to collect cereal for the needy. Fans will receive free admission to Wednesday night's women's and men's basketball doubleheader if they bring a new, unopened box of cereal to the games. All cereal will be donated to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry to benefit local people in need during the holiday season.