by Casey Burinskas

ALFRED, N.Y. – The Penn State Altoona women's basketball team took on Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Alfred State College on Saturday in the Orvis Gymnasium, and the Lions secured their third consecutive win with a 67-55 victory over the Pioneers.

Penn State Altoona (12-9, 9-5 AMCC) created a 31-23 lead by halftime, and after Alfred State (4-17, 3-11 AMCC) closed the gap to three points during the third quarter, the Lions outscored the Pioneers 23-15 in the fourth quarter to finish with a 12-point decision.

Jaidyn McCracken (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) had a team-high 17 points that also came along with seven rebounds and a game-high six assists. Following in scoring was Jess Burns (South Fayette, PA/South Fayette) with a total of 15 points while grabbing four rebounds.

Avana Sayles (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) came in with a strong 14 points and six rebounds, and Raniyah Green (Hillside, NJ/East Orange/Hillside) had 10 points and eight rebounds to finish the game.

Jordan Bisignani (Pittsburgh, PA/Peters Township) ended with a team-high 12 rebounds for Penn State Altoona, tying her career-high total of rebounds, and added seven points and five assists. 

Coming into the first quarter, Alfred State was first to place points on the board, but it was soon followed by a response from Altoona. After a foul, Burns was able to put up two points on free throws to bring the game to a tie, followed by a layup from Sayles to give the Lions their first lead of the game with a score of 4-2. Sayles was able to make a jump shot, followed by McCracken landing a jump shot to tie the game at 8-8 with 3:23 left in the first quarter. With only 10 seconds left in the quarter, Green made a layup which gave Altoona the lead, 14-13, going into the second.

Starting the second quarter, Burns landed a three-point jump shot to give the Lions a bigger lead. Penn State Altoona remained at 17 points until 6:05, when McCracken sunk a free throw to put Altoona back in the lead, 18-17. At the 4:42 mark, Camryn Figard (Hollidaysburg, PA/Hollidaysburg) made a layup to decrease an Alfred State lead to one point, 21-20. The Pioneers did not keep their lead for much longer, as a jump shot from Green and a three-pointer from McCracken put the Lions back in the lead, 25-23, with 2:29 left in the half. With Bisignani landing a three-pointer, followed by another one from Burns, the Lions found themselves going into halftime with a lead of 31-23. 

In the third quarter, the Lions were able to increase their score when McCracken made a jump shot three minutes into the period. Further down the road with 6:01 left on the clock, Burns made another three-pointer and the Lions remained in the lead, 36-27. Nearing the four-minute mark, Burns made a layup, followed by a jump shot placed in by Chelsea McCaulsky (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) at 3:33. Following that, Bisignani and McCracken each made two free throws that gave the Lions a 44-40 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Early in the last quarter of the game, Green came in strong by putting four points on the board for the Lions with a pair of foul shots and a layup. Sayles followed by adding three more points from a layup and free throw, giving Penn State Altoona a 51-42 lead. At 6:37, McCracken shot in a three-pointer that kept the Lions pushing forward, and she made another three-pointer with just over four minutes left to give her team a 16-point lead, 61-45. Penn State Altoona got free throws from Bisignani, McCracken, and Burns within the final minute that led the Lions to a 67-55 win by the end of the game.

Next up on the Penn State Altoona women's basketball radar is a road game at first-year AMCC opponent Carlow University on Wednesday, February 7 at 5:30 p.m.