Lions Drop Home Opener to EMU
ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's basketball team concluded its season-opening stretch of back-to-back games on Wednesday night, losing 54-48 to non-conference opponent Eastern Mennonite University in the Lions' first home contest of the season in Adler Arena.
Penn State Altoona (0-2) overcame a first-half deficit by surging ahead during the third quarter, when the Lions posted a 20-7 scoring advantage. But Eastern Mennonite (1-0) reclaimed the lead in the fourth quarter and held on for the win.
Jess Burns (South Fayette, PA/South Fayette) scored a game-high 15 points for Penn State Altoona while shooting 5-for-9 from the field, including a 3-for-4 performance from three-point range. Avana Sayles (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) added 10 points, six rebounds, and two steals.
Emma Kitko (Houtzdale, PA/Moshannon Valley) contributed nine points, and Sarah Huston (Coatesville, PA/Coatesville) finished with seven steals – tying for the fourth-most steals in a game in Lions history – to go along with six points and five rebounds. Jordan Bisignani (Pittsburgh, PA/Peters Township) tallied six points, six rebounds, and a game-high five assists.
Eastern Mennonite got a pair of double-doubles, as Mya Hamlet finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds while Trinity Price scored 10 points and grabbed 13 boards.
The visitors jumped out to an eight-point lead by the end of the first quarter, taking advantage of a 13.3 percent field goal success rate by the home squad. Burns' three-pointer and layup kept Penn State Altoona within one, 6-5, by the 4:08 mark. But the Royals outscored the Lions 11-4 over the rest of the period to lead 17-9.
Both teams struggled to find a rhythm on offense during the second quarter, when Penn State Altoona and Eastern Mennonite combined for 15 points. After Lauryn Moore's layup at 1:02 gave the Royals their largest lead of the game, 25-13, Kitko was fouled on a last-second three-point attempt and converted all three foul shots to bring Penn State Altoona to within single digits, 25-16, by halftime.
The Lions turned the tables on Eastern Mennonite in the third quarter, holding the Royals to just seven points on a 13.3 percent field goal percentage. Penn State Altoona started the period on a 12-0 run that included three-pointers from Kitko and Huston, a layup from Jaidyn McCracken (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis), and two baskets from Sayles to put the Lions up 28-25. Burns connected on a pair of three-pointers over the rest of the quarter, and Penn State Altoona took a 36-32 advantage into the game's final stanza.
Eastern Mennonite struck back in the fourth quarter, opening with a 6-0 run over the first two minutes to jump back in front, 38-36. The Royals maintained a modest lead over the next several minutes and established a 50-41 advantage by the 2:15 mark. Penn State Altoona pushed back, using a layup from Sayles and three-pointer from Bisignani to cut the deficit to four, 50-46, with a minute to play. But Eastern Mennonite did enough in the closing 60 seconds to keep its lead through the final buzzer.
Next up, Penn State Altoona will return to the road on Thursday, November 17 to face Division II opponent Lock Haven University at 6:00 p.m.
