Women’s Basketball Tops Mounties for Third AMCC Win
by Casey Burinskas
ALTOONA, Pa. – On Wednesday night in Adler Arena, the Penn State Altoona women's basketball team faced off against Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference rival Mount Aloysius College, and the Lions came out on top by a final score of 73-62 to record their third consecutive conference win.
Penn State Altoona (5-3, 3-0 AMCC) got out to a commanding lead by the end of the first quarter, establishing a 24-7 advantage by the end of the period. The Lions were able to withstand a late push by Mount Aloysius (4-4, 1-2 AMCC) to seal the victory, which came on Altoona Benefiting THON Night.
Jaidyn McCracken (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) led the Lions with a scoring total of 21 points on seven three-pointers, as she tied Penn State Altoona's single-game record for three-pointers made. She was followed closely behind in scoring by Jess Burns (South Fayette, PA/South Fayette), who scored 19 points while recording five assists.
Jordan Bisignani (Pittsburgh, PA/Peters-Township) led the team in assists with six while adding 12 points and eight rebounds. Raniyah Green (Hillside, NJ/East Orange/Hillside) had the team lead in rebounds with nine, and she also blocked a team-best three shots.
Avana Sayles (Venetia, PA/Peters-Township) ended the game with 16 points to go along with seven rebounds and three steals, helping Penn State Altoona continue its AMCC win streak by notching its third conference win of the season.
As a team, Penn State Altoona tied for the fourth-most three-pointers made in a game in team history, connecting on 12 attempts from beyond the arc.
In the first quarter, the Lions came out and posted a strong start. The home team was quick to put up points with three-pointers made by Burns and Bisignani at 9:31 and 8:53. Altoona did not allow Mount Aloysius to score more than two points over the first 6:18 of the quarter, going on a scoring run of 20-2 over that span. Sayles made a jump shot at 1:35 to give her team a 22-5 lead, and the Lions ended the quarter on a layup made by Sarah Huston (Coatesville, PA/Coatesville) with two seconds left that put Penn State Altoona's lead at 24-7.
Early in the second quarter, a Sayles layup was followed by a McCracken three-pointer, giving Penn State Altoona a 29-11 lead. Mount Aloysius put up a stronger battle following the first quarter, but the Lions did not surrender their lead. With a layup from Green at 1:02 and a layup from Burns with only 24 seconds left, the second quarter ended at 39-31 with the Lions still holding onto the lead.
Coming back from halftime, Burns put up two points early in the third quarter to bring the Lions to a 10-point lead, 41-31, and a foul by Mount Aloysius gave the Lions two more points with free throws made by Sayles. At 5:09, McCracken made another three-pointer to give the Lions another double-digit lead, 46-36, followed by a jump shot from Sayles that increased the advantage to 12 points. With 1:16 left in the third, McCracken once again showed her talent from long range, as she put up her sixth three-pointer of the game, leaving the score at 51-44. With one more free throw made by Bisignani, the Lions headed into the game's final quarter with a 52-44 lead.
In the fourth, the Lions began bringing in points at the 8:51 mark with a layup by Sayles, assisted by Rayaka Cooper (East Orange, NJ/East Orange). Altoona then followed with another three-pointer from McCracken, her seventh of the night, to bring the lead up to 57-48. With two more layups from Bisignani, the Lions continued to hold onto the lead, 61-56, with six minutes left in the game. Three late free throws made by Burns helped the Lions ice the victory, ending the game with a 73-62 win.
Later this week, the Penn State Altoona women's basketball team will travel to new AMCC opponent Wells College, facing off against the Express on Saturday, December 9 at 1 p.m.
