ALFRED, N.Y. – A big first quarter helped Alfred State College earn a 70-55 victory over Penn State Altoona women's basketball in the teams' first Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference game of the season on Sunday afternoon in the Orvis Gymnasium.

Alfred State (4-2, 1-0 AMCC) got out to a strong start in the game, building a 25-8 advantage by the end of the first quarter. The Pioneers held Penn State Altoona (1-6, 0-1 AMCC) off over the rest of the contest to secure the win.

Alexis Cannistraci (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) tied for the game-high in points with 20, and she also finished with a team-high six rebounds to go along with six assists, two steals, and two blocks. Sarah Huston (Coatesville, PA/Coatesville) contributed 19 points, a team-leading six steals, and four rebounds.

Jordan Bisignani (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) scored eight points off the bench while distributing four assists. Ellie Matthews (Kennett Square, PA/Kennett) tied for the game-high in assists with seven and also grabbed five rebounds.

My'ana Davis led Alfred State in scoring with 20 points. Emily Kelley had a game-high 16 rebounds while recording 13 points, and Skylar Shaulis also scored 13 points.

Alfred State outscored Penn State Altoona by a commanding 25-8 margin during the first quarter, in which the Pioneers went 11-for-15 from the field while limiting the Lions to an 18.8 percent field goal percentage.

Penn State Altoona gained some ground on Alfred State during the second quarter, as the Lions came out on top in a 13-9 scoring differential. Huston's three-pointer with 32 seconds left in the half brought Penn State Altoona back to within 13 points, 34-21.

Alfred State posted a 16-9 advantage in points during the third quarter, however, growing their lead to 20 points by the period's end, when Davis' jumper with two seconds left on the clock gave the Pioneers a 50-30 lead.

Penn State Altoona put 25 points on the board during a high-scoring fourth quarter that saw the teams combine for 45 points. Huston had 12 of the Lions' points in the fourth, while Cannistraci scored seven points. But Alfred State's lead was too much to overcome, and Penn State Altoona dropped its first conference game of the season by 15 points.

The Lions excelled in creating turnovers during the game, forcing 24 Alfred State turnovers compered to 13 by Penn State Altoona. The visiting team capitalized on those Pioneer miscues by scoring 22 points off of turnovers.

Penn State Altoona women's basketball returns home this Wednesday, December 1, when it will host AMCC opponent La Roche University for a game starting at 6:00 p.m.