by Christina Roukas

ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's basketball team broke its four-game losing streak on Saturday afternoon, coming out victorious 68-51 against Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Medaille College in the Adler Arena.

From early in the game, the Lions (3-13, 2-7 AMCC) got the lead and never let it go the rest of the day. In the first quarter, Penn State Altoona and Medaille (7-10, 2-6 AMCC) played a tight game. The Mavericks held a one-point lead for a minute of the quarter, but the Lions took the lead back and ended the period up 17-11. In the second quarter, the Mavericks held a six-point scoring run in the middle of the period, but the Lions answered and led 32-28 by halftime.

In the third quarter, the Lions continued to play great offense against Medaille, outscoring the Mavericks 18-10 in the period. In the first two minutes of the quarter, the Lions held a nine-point lead, 37-28. By the final minute of the quarter, Penn State Altoona had increased its lead to 12 points, 48-36, and the Lions ended the period ahead 50-38. In the fourth, the Lions continued to play excellent offense and defense against the Mavericks. Through the first three minutes of the quarter, Penn State Altoona extended its lead to 17 points, 58-41, and went on to go up by as many as 21.

Ellie Matthews (Kennett Square, PA/Kennett) scored a game-high 20 points and also had five rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and two steals. Megan Hartman (Claysburg, PA/Claysburg-Kimmel) scored a total of 15 points while adding four rebounds, four steals, three assists, and two blocks.

Alexis Cannistraci (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) scored 14 points, had a team-high six rebounds, and also finished with two assists, two steals, and two blocks. Sarah Huston (Coatesville, PA/Coatesville) had 10 points, a game-high nine assists, and three rebounds. Emma Kitko (Houtzdale, PA/Moshannon Valley) recorded eight points off the bench.

The Lions finished the game with their sixth-best field goal percentage in a game in program history, as the team combined to shoot 28-for-50 (56.0 percent) from the floor.

The Penn State Altoona women's basketball team's next game is home against nearby AMCC rival Mount Aloysius College on Wednesday, January 26. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.