by Casey Burinskas

ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's basketball team had its regular season home finale Wednesday night in Adler Arena, where the Lions defeated Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference rival Mount Aloysius College, 80-66, for their seventh win in a row.

Penn State Altoona (16-6, 11-2 AMCC) overpowered Mount Aloysius (8-14, 6-7 AMCC) in the first half, when the Lions put 53 points on the board and led by 17 at the break. The Mounties closed the gap to seven in the third quarter, but Penn State Altoona boosted its lead back into double digits in the fourth to close out a strong conference victory.

Turnovers played a big role in Penn State Altoona's win, as the Lions committed just eight turnovers while forcing 16 by the Mounties. The home team capitalized by running up a 19-4 advantage in points off turnovers.

Lanie Wilt (Altoona, PA/Altoona) put up a game-high 28 points for Penn State Altoona while adding nine rebounds and two assists. Ellie Irvin (Calvin, PA/Southern Huntingdon) scored a season-high 21 points, including hitting five three-pointers, and she recorded four assists and two steals.

Avana Sayles (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) finished with 12 points, five rebounds, and three steals, and Jaidyn McCracken (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) contributed eight points, four assists, and three boards. Haley Hicks (Wylie, TX/Wylie East) came off the bench to provide a team-high 12 rebounds.

Penn State Altoona put together an impressive first quarter, using scoring runs and strong defense to build a 25-20 lead. Altoona opened the scoring with a layup from Wilt, and after falling behind by three, the Lions responded as Irvin knocked down a shot to make it 5-4. Irvin continued her hot shooting, hitting a pair of three-pointers and a jump shot to put Altoona back in front, 12-9. Wilt then stepped out and drilled a three-pointer of her own, stretching the distance to 15-11. After a brief back-and-forth stretch, Hicks added a jumper and Allyana Stephens (Johnstown, PA/Bishop McCort) made a three-pointer to give the Lions a 25-18 lead. Down the stretch, the Lions used strong rebounding and defensive stops to fuel their offense, and Altoona took a 25-20 lead into the second quarter.

The Lions built on their momentum and steadily stretched the lead throughout the second period. Altoona got a three-pointer from Irvin off a Stephens assist to lead 28-20 early in the quarter. Moments later, McCracken finished a layup off an Irvin assist to extend the lead to 30-20, and Sayles added a jumper to push the lead to 12 points. Altoona continued to respond whenever Mount Aloysius tried to chip away, as buckets from Sayles and Wilt answered after the Mounties had cut the margin to seven. Wilt buried a three-pointer to make it 39-27, then followed that with a layup to extend the lead to 14 points. Jumpers by Sayles and Wilt kept the Lions comfortably in front, 47-33, before McCracken and Wilt knocked down back-to-back threes late in the period to extend Penn State Altoona's lead to 53-36 by halftime.

Early in the third quarter, jump shots from Wilt and Halle Kuzminski (Warren, PA/Warren) stretched the Lions' lead to their largest of the game, 59-40. The Mounties cut into the gap later in the quarter, helped by seven makes at the free throw line throughout the period, to lower the Altoona lead into the single digits. But the Lions' defense held firm, as Wilt and Hicks helped control the glass with key defensive rebounds and the team forced tough shots throughout the quarter to limit any sustained rally. Late in the quarter, the Lions got a big three-pointer from McCracken off a Wilt assist and held a 66-58 lead going into the last quarter.

The Lions entered the final period leading and quickly pushed the margin back to double digits. Wilt knocked down a pair of free throws from a technical foul, and moments later, Irvin buried a three-pointer off a McCracken assist to extend the lead to 71-58. A Sayles jumper made it 73-59, and Irvin continued her strong night with a bucket to push the advantage to 75-59 midway through the quarter. Altoona's defense remained steady down the stretch, as McCracken came up with a steal, while Hicks and Kuzminski secured important rebounds to limit second-chance opportunities. Despite a late push from the Mount that cut the score to 78-66, the Lions calmly sealed the game. Hicks converted two free throws in the final seconds to cap the scoring and secure the 80-66 win at home.

Now, Penn State Altoona women's basketball closes its regular season schedule with three straight road games, beginning this Saturday, February 14 in Erie, where the Lions will take on AMCC opponent Penn State Behrend at 2 p.m.