by McKenzie Quirin

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's basketball team took its second loss of the season Tuesday night, losing to non-conference opponent Messiah University by a final score of 73-50.

Jaidyn McCracken (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) and Avana Sayles (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) led the Lions with 14 points apiece. McCracken contributed three rebounds, two assists, and one steal, while Sayles had eight rebounds.

Messiah (3-1) got 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists from Morgan Adams, as well as 15 points, six rebounds, one assist and three steals from Chloe Milanesi.

The first quarter was all Messiah, as they took a large 8-0 lead early on against Penn State Altoona (2-2). Finally getting on the board, Sayles added two points for the Lions when she made a jump shot at the 7:42 mark. It was all Falcons for the next two-and-a-half minutes, as they managed to extend their lead to 15-2 as time winded down in the first quarter. Although the Lions found ways to score, Messiah went into the second quarter with a 24-10 lead, making Penn State Altoona's deficit 14 points.

Early in the second quarter, both Messiah and Penn State Altoona had scoring chances but did not convert on those opportunities. The Falcons added two to their lead when Liv Monturo made a jump shot for the first basket of the period. For most of the second quarter, the scoring between the Lions and the Falcons went back and forth, but Messiah went into halftime with a 42-19 lead.

In the third quarter, Penn State Altoona started off slowly but was able to pull in some points with the help from McCracken's three-point jump shot, Raniyah Green's (Hillside, NJ/East Orange/Hillside) jump shot and free throw and Sayles' two free throws. Messiah held their 48-27 lead as the Lions continued to push offensively halfway into the third. Penn State Altoona kept the Falcons from scoring until Messiah's Ainsley Bell made a jump shot at the 3:36 mark to extend their lead to 50-27. Messiah ended up taking a 57-34 lead going into the last quarter.

As the fourth quarter rolled on, so did the Falcons' points, as they put up two points from a jump shot early on. Green put up two points for the Lions when she made a jump shot, cutting their deficit to 23. The Lions and Falcons again went back and forth putting up points, but Messiah continued to hold a significant lead as the clock was winding down. Despite a late push, Penn State Altoona was unable to come through against Messiah, as the final buzzer sounded with a 73-50 score in favor of the Falcons.

Next up, the Penn State Altoona women's basketball team comes off Thanksgiving break when they go on the road to play against non-conference opponent Wilkes University on Monday, November 27, at 7 p.m.