HAMBURG, N.Y. – The Penn State Altoona women's basketball team improved to 3-0 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference on Saturday, when the Lions defeated league opponent Hilbert College 67-31 at the Hafner Recreation Center.

Penn State Altoona (5-4, 3-0 AMCC) limited Hilbert (0-9, 0-2 AMCC) to single digit point totals in three of the game's four quarters, forcing 30 turnovers by the Hawks while allowing a field goal percentage of just 29.7 percent by the home team.

Raniyah Green (Hillside, NJ/East Orange/Hillside), Jaidyn McCracken (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis), and Avana Sayles (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) each scored 16 points for Penn State Altoona. Green added a team-high eight rebounds and four steals, McCracken had four boards and two assists, and Sayles recorded four rebounds and three assists to go along with a game-high six steals.

Jordan Bisignani (Pittsburgh, PA/Peters Township), Jess Burns (South Fayette, PA/South Fayette), and Madison Rusnica (DuBois, PA/DuBois) chipped in five points apiece for the Lions, with Bisignani and Rusnica each tying for the game high in assists with five.

Hilbert got 13 points from Kayla Johnson, while Kelsey Schlagenhauf finished with 12 rebounds and 11 points.

Penn State Altoona jumped out to a 14-5 lead by the end of the first quarter. McCracken opened the scoring with a three-pointer and two-point jump shot, and baskets from Sayles and Addi Schirato (Salix, PA/Forest Hills) helped the Lions to a 9-2 lead by the 3:34 mark. Rusnica hit a three-pointer 40 seconds later, and Green added a layup within the final minute of the period, as the Lions took a nine-point lead into the second.

Penn State Altoona widened its lead during the second quarter, in which the Lions outscored the Hawks 22-5. Layups by Sayles, Green, and McCracken helped the Lions to a 23-6 lead three minutes into the quarter, and a Bisignani three-pointer and another Green basket made it 28-6 by 5:07. Three buckets by Sayles and a Burns jumper made it 36-9 late in the period, and Penn State Altoona led 36-10 by halftime.

The Lions continued to expand their lead in the second half. Two baskets from Sayles and one from Green put Penn State Altoona's lead at 42-19 halfway through the third quarter, and a McCracken layup and four foul shots by Green made it 48-21 by the 2:21 mark. Burns connected on a three-pointer with 47 seconds left in the quarter, and Bisignani's layup at the eight-second mark got the Lions' advantage to 53-23 by the period's end.

Penn State Altoona finished the game strong, outscoring Hilbert 14-8 in the fourth quarter. Two McCracken buckets and a Green layup made it 59-25, before a pair of Rusnica free throws and another Green layup put the score at 63-27 by 5:03. Sayles and Halle Kuzminski (Warren, PA/Warren) each added a basket over the rest of the quarter, and the Lions ended with a commanding 67-31 advantage over Hilbert.

The Lions outscored Hilbert 34-6 in points off turnovers, 10-0 on the fastbreak, and 28-20 in the paint.

The Penn State Altoona women's basketball team will dip back into non-conference play for its next three contests, starting with a road game at Marywood University on Wednesday, December 11, at 6 p.m.