HAMBURG, N.Y. – The Penn State Altoona women's basketball team put a halt to its five-game losing streak on Saturday afternoon, when the Lions pulled out a 79-74 overtime win against Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Hilbert College in the Hafner Recreation Center.

Penn State Altoona (9-8, 6-4 AMCC) was able to outlast Hilbert (2-14, 2-7 AMCC) to come out on top of a back-and-forth game. The Lions jumped out to a 24-15 advantage by the end of the first quarter, only to see Hilbert erase it with a 20-8 scoring edge during the second quarter. Penn State Altoona reclaimed its lead in the third, but Hilbert tied the game in the fourth and forced overtime.

The Lions did enough during the extra period to pull ahead, outscoring the Hawks 15-10 to finish with a five-point win.

Jordan Bisignani (Pittsburgh, PA/Peters Township) scored a team-high 20 points for Penn State Altoona while dishing out five assists and securing five rebounds. Jess Burns (South Fayette, PA/South Fayette) added 15 points, five rebounds, and two assists.

Jaidyn McCracken (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) scored 14 points for the Lions, grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, and distributed five assists. Avana Sayles (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) provided 11 points, four rebounds, and two assists, and Chelsea McCaulsky (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) came off the bench to finish with eight points, six boards, and two helpers.

Hilbert got a game-high 30 points from Alesia Hamm, while Kelsey Schlagenhauf finished with 27 points for the Hawks.

Penn State Altoona started the game by putting 24 points on the board during the first quarter and leading by as many as 10. Up 4-3, a Bisignani three-pointer and Burns layup put the Lions' lead at 9-3 by 6:36. Three-pointers from McCracken and McCaulsky helped increase Penn State Altoona's advantage to 19-9 by 3:13, and the Lions picked up points within the final 42 seconds of the quarter on a Camryn Figard (Hollidaysburg, PA/Hollidaysburg) jumper and another McCaulsky trey to take a 24-15 advantage into the second.

Hilbert countered by outscoring Penn State Altoona by 13 points during the second quarter. Hamm's jump shot at 5:40 tied the score at 24, and her three-pointer at 4:45 gave Hilbert its first lead of the day, 27-26. A layup by Emily Munson (New Hartford, CT/Northwestern Regional) put Penn State Altoona ahead 28-27 with 4:30 remaining, but Hilbert reclaimed its lead on a Maria Spinelli bucket just under a minute later and never trailed for the rest of the half. Hamm's basket just before the buzzer put Hilbert's advantage at 35-32 going into halftime.

Penn State Altoona answered in the third quarter, outscoring Hilbert 22-13 to retake the lead. Down 39-33, two McCracken baskets and a pair of Burns free throws tied the score at 39-39, and two buckets from Sayles put the Lions ahead, 43-39, near the period's midway point. Penn State Altoona continued to nurse a small lead throughout the quarter, and a McCracken layup and Bisignani three-pointer helped the Lions increase their advantage to six points, 54-48, by the period's end.

Hilbert fought back in the fourth quarter and ultimately forced overtime. Schlagenhauf's jumper at 2:08 gave the Hawks a 63-60 lead, before Figard's jumper at 1:49 made it 63-62. A Chloe Champagne free throw with 10 seconds left gave Hilbert a two-point advantage, but Penn State Altoona came up with the game-tying basket on a McCaulsky layup to even the score at 64-64 with six seconds to go. The Lions held Hilbert scoreless on the Hawks' final possession of regulation, and the game proceeded to overtime.

Free throws by Schlagenhauf and Belle Oakley helped Hilbert work its way out to a 67-64 lead by the 2:50 mark, before a McCracken foul shot 20 seconds later made it a two-point game. Penn State Altoona turned the tables on Hilbert with a huge shot from Sydney Barnett (Suwanee, GA/North Gwinnett), who connected from three-point range at 1:50 to put the Lions on top, 68-67. A jumper from Bisignani at 1:12 made it 70-67, but back-to-back baskets by Schlagenhauf put the home team back in front, 71-70, with 26 seconds to play. However, opportunities at the foul line helped propel Penn State Altoona to victory, as Bisignani, Munson, and Burns combined to go 9-for-10 at the free throw line over the final 23 seconds of the game to wrap up a five-point win for the visitors.

Penn State Altoona women's basketball's next game is on the road, when the Lions will travel to play AMCC foe Pitt-Greensburg on Wednesday, January 24 at 7 p.m.