PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Penn State Altoona women's basketball team had their three-game winning streak snapped on Saturday afternoon, when the Lions lost 72-64 to Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent La Roche in the Kerr Fitness & Sports Center.  

Penn State Altoona (9-6, 4-2 AMCC) struggled early in the game, trailing by 11 at halftime. The Lions turned it around in the second half but were unable to overcome the Redhawks' (7-9, 7-0 AMCC) lead.  

Lanie Wilt (Altoona, PA/Altoona) led the Lions in scoring with 17 points to go along with three rebounds and four assists. After scoring 14 points today, Avana Sayles (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) ties former Lion Alexis Cannistraci for the women's basketball team's all-time points record of 1,503 career points. Sayles' 18 rebounds today tied her for the sixth most in a game in program history. Jaidyn McCracken (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) also scored 14 points while adding seven rebounds.  

La Roche's Jazmine Dunn led all scorers with 30 points, while J'La Kizart added 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Redhawks. 

The Lions struggled offensively in the first quarter, only scoring eight points throughout the entire quarter. During this quarter, the Lions would have a period of seven minutes where they did not score a basket. Conversely, the Redhawks scored 14 points in those seven minutes. The Lions went into the second quarter trailing 17-8. 

The Lions started the second quarter positively as Halle Kuzminski (Warren, PA/Warren) and Sayles both scored jumpers to close the gap to five points. The Lions and Redhawks traded shots throughout the second quarter, with the Lions coming close at 3:46 as Wilt scored a three-pointer to make it 29-25. La Roche rode a 9-2 run in the final two minutes of the half to lead by 11 at the break.  

The Lions started the second half looking to close the gap. Sayles scored a jumper, and McCracken scored a layup to make it 38-31. La Roche responded by going on an 8-0 run to extend their lead to 15 points. Penn State Altoona went on a 9-4 run at 4:06, with Wilt scoring four free throws, Ellie Irvin (Calvin, PA/Southern Huntingdon) scoring a free throw, and Sayles scoring two jumpers to close the gap to 10 points.  

Dunn scored two free throws with seven seconds left in the quarter, as the Lions went into the final quarter down by 11.  

The fourth quarter was like a game of tug-of-war, with neither team gaining much offensive momentum. At 6:31, Kizart scored a layup, with McCracken responding by scoring a three-pointer. Dunn then scored a three-pointer of her own, as McCracken scored another three-pointer to keep the gap at 10 points.  

The Redhawks would gain some offensive momentum late in the quarter, going on an 8-3 run with 4:44 left in the game. In response, the Lions went on an 8-2 run with Wilt scoring five free throws and McCracken scoring a three-point jump shot to make it 71-64. That would be as close as the Lions would get to overcoming the gap, as Kizart scored a free throw to make the final score 72-64.  

Penn State Altoona women's basketball remains on the road for their next game as they travel to Cresson, Pa. to face local rivals Mount Aloysius at the Athletic, Convocation, & Wellness Center on Wednesday, January 21, at 7:00 p.m.