PITTSBURGH – Penn State Altoona women's basketball rattled off its fifth consecutive win Wednesday night, when the Lions posted a lopsided victory, 80-38, over Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Carlow University at Donahue Pavilion.

Penn State Altoona (14-6, 9-2 AMCC) led 26-5 after the first quarter and never looked back, going ahead by as many as 44 points in the second half. The Lions forced Carlow (3-17, 3-9 AMCC) into committing 30 turnovers while holding the Celtics to a 23.0 percent field goal percentage.

Avana Sayles (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) recorded her 11th double-double of the season for Penn State Altoona, leading all players in the game with 21 points and 13 rebounds while also finishing with a game-high five steals. Jaidyn McCracken (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) scored 19 points to go along with four steals, and Lanie Wilt (Altoona, PA/Altoona) contributed 12 points. Ellie Irvin (Calvin, PA/Southern Huntingdon) came off the bench to provide seven points, five assists, three steals, and three blocks.

Carlow's Audry Clingenpeel led the Celtics in scoring with 13 points.

Penn State Altoona stormed out to a 21-point lead by the conclusion of the opening quarter. Free throws by Wilt and Sayles preceded a McCracken three-pointer that gave the Lions a 6-0 lead just over two minutes into the game, and she hit again from three-point range at 6:06 to make it 14-3. Irvin connected on a three-pointer at 3:06 to give the Lions a 21-3 lead, and an Allyana Stephens (Johnstown, PA/Bishop McCort) trey and a Haley Hicks (Wylie, TX/Wylie East) helped set Penn State Altoona's advantage at 26-5 by the end of the quarter.

The second quarter began with another McCracken three-pointer, followed by back-to-back buckets from Halle Kuzminski (Warren, PA/Warren) and a Sayles jumper that extended Penn State Altoona's lead to 30 points, 35-5, by the 7:43 mark. Two more baskets from Sayles, a Wilt three-pointer, and an Irvin layup set the Lions' advantage at 44-11, and McCracken added a layup late in the quarter to push Penn State Altoona to a 46-17 halftime lead.

McCracken started the second half with a three-pointer, followed by a Wilt layup that made it 51-17. Midway through the period, the Lions got scores from Sayles, Hicks, and Wilt, and McCracken nailed another three-pointer at 3:43 to put her team up 62-26. After that, two-point buckets by Sayles, Stephens, and Madison Rusnica (DuBois, PA/DuBois) propelled Penn State Altoona to a 68-30 lead at the quarter's end.

Irvin opened the fourth quarter scoring with a jump shot at 9:19 which pushed her team's advantage to 40 points, 70-30. Later, the Lions got baskets from Sayles and McCracken as the visitors held a 74-34 lead halfway through the final quarter. After that, an Addi Schirato (Salix, PA/Forest Hills) foul shot, an Addy Nardolillo (Hinsdale, NH/Hinsdale) jumper, and an Elizabeth Painter (Connellsville, PA/Connellsville) three-pointer boosted Penn State Altoona's lead to its high-water mark, 80-36, with 51 seconds to play.

The Lions finished the contest with statistical advantages over Carlow in points off turnovers (40-8), fastbreak points (22-14), and turnovers (12-30).

Penn State Altoona women's basketball returns home this Saturday, February 7, to host AMCC opponent La Roche University. Tipoff for the contest is set for 2 p.m.