Sayles Sets Single-Game Scoring Record in Lions’ Rout of Panthers
by Casey Burinskas
ALTOONA, Pa. – The No. 3 seed Penn State Altoona women's basketball team faced off against No. 6 seed Pitt-Bradford in a first-round Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Tournament game in Adler Arena Tuesday night, and the Lions put together a dominant 94-50 victory to move on in the playoffs.
Penn State Altoona's win was powered by a team record-setting performance from sophomore Avana Sayles (Venetia, PA/Peters Township), who set a new Lions' single-game scoring record with 33 points. Sayles' total of 33 points surpassed the team's previous single-game record of 31 points, which was set by former Lion Moira Corrigan in a game on February 24, 2015, versus former AMCC opponent Medaille College.
With its win, Penn State Altoona (15-11) advances to the AMCC Tournament semifinal round and will play No. 2 seed Penn State Behrend this Friday, February 23 at 3 p.m. at La Roche University, which is hosting the final two rounds of the conference postseason. Pitt-Bradford (9-16) is eliminated from the tournament.
In addition to being Tuesday night's leading scorer with 33 points, Sayles also brought in a game-high 13 rebounds to notch her eighth double-double of the season, and she led all players with three blocks and two steals. Sayles connected on 15-of-22 shots from the floor, setting a new team record for the most field goals made in a game.
Raniyah Green (Hillside, NJ/East Orange/Hillside) and Jess Burns (South Fayette, PA/South Fayette) both carried 14 points for Altoona, with Green adding four rebounds and Burns totaling three assists. Jordan Bisignani (Pittsburgh, PA/Peters Township) held a total of 12 points and had six rebounds, while Jaidyn McCracken (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) had 10 points and 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season while distributing a game-high five assists.
As a team, Penn State Altoona's total of 94 points ties for the seventh-most in a game in program history.
Opening the first quarter, the Lions took over early with a run of 12 points. Altoona started by placing their first points on the scoreboard with two free throws landed by Green. After Green's layup and free throw, Bisignani hit a three-point jump shot to make it 8-0, before Sayles' basket and two more Green free throws got it to 12-0 by 6:04. Pitt-Bradford landed a three-pointer at 5:51 for its first points of the night, but the Lions' scoring did not stop, as three-pointers by Bisignani and Chelsea McCaulsky (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) and a McCracken jump shot brought Altoona's lead to 20-4. McCracken was quick to make another three-pointer, followed by a layup from Burns to give Altoona the lead by 17 points, 25-8. Sayles closed out the Lions' scoring in the quarter with a jump shot, and Altoona went into the second quarter leading 27-11.
Following a strong first quarter, the Lions did not slow down in the second. Altoona was again first to strike by Green making a layup and a free throw, and Sayles made three jump shots to help the Lions make their lead even stronger. With 4:22 left in the half, Bisignani made a layup to leave the score at 40-24. Following her layup, Bisignani made two free throws, and coming in right behind her was Sayles with another jump shot. Closing out the quarter, McCracken made a three-pointer and two free throws, while Burns landed a jump shot to give the Lions a 51-27 lead at the half.
Back in the third quarter, Bisignani scored first with a layup for the Lions before Sayles scored her team's next six baskets in a row. With the clock striking down to the 3:32 mark, Camryn Figard (Hollidaysburg, PA/Hollidaysburg) made a jump shot to bring Altoona's lead to 67-33. After another jumper from Sayles, McCaulsky scored on a jump shot and Burns closed out the quarter with a three-pointer to give the Lions a 30-point lead, 74-44 going into the last quarter.
Starting the fourth quarter, Sayles placed in a layup to give Altoona the period's first points. Green also made two free throws to add even more to the score, and Burns' layup brought the Lions' total to 80. Following that, a Green layup and Burns three-pointer increased the Lions' lead to 85-44. Sayles made another free throw, and a Burns steal led to her basket at the other end to make it 88-44. Sydney Barnett (Suwanee, GA/North Gwinnett) entered the game and made a free throw, before Sayles' jump shot at 1:15 gave her the team's single-game scoring record. With 39 seconds left in the game, the Lions got one last three-pointer from Barnett, and Altoona took a 44-point win over Pitt-Bradford in the first round of the AMCC Tournament.
