Women’s Basketball Falls 76-61 to Chatham
ALTOONA, Pa. – In its final home game before the new year, the Penn State Altoona women's basketball team was defeated 76-61 by non-conference opponent Chatham University on Monday afternoon in the Adler Arena.
Penn State Altoona (2-10) grabbed an early lead, gaining a 15-10 advantage by the conclusion of the first quarter. But Chatham (8-2) bounced back with a big second quarter, then maintained a lead over the Lions the rest of the way.
Both teams struggled with turnovers, as Penn State Altoona and Chatham combined for 43 giveaways in the game.
Alexis Cannistraci (Tyrone, PA/Tyrone) put up a game-high 21 points for the Lions. Ellie Matthews (Kennett Square, PA/Kennett) added 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals, and Megan Hartman (Claysburg, PA/Claysburg-Kimmel) totaled 16 points and six rebounds. Sarah Huston (Coatesville, PA/Coatesville) led all players in the game with 10 rebounds and seven assists, and she tied for the game-high in steals with four.
Chatham got 16 points from Sierra McClain, as well as 13 points apiece from Emily Durkee and Julianna Skowron. Zelimar Rodriguez added 11 points for the Cougars.
Penn State Altoona began the opening quarter by building a 9-2 lead. Down 2-0, Hartman's three-pointer at 9:05 got the Lions on the scoreboard, and Emily Marines (Nanty Glo, PA/Blacklick Valley), Cannistraci, and Matthews followed with baskets to give Penn State Altoona a seven-point lead by the 7:38 mark. A pair of buckets by Matthews in the latter stages of the period helped increase the Lions' lead to 15-7, but a McClain trey with 16 seconds left trimmed Penn State Altoona's advantage to 15-10 by the period's end.
Cannistraci started the scoring in the second quarter with a layup at 9:46, but Chatham responded with a 6-0 run to make it a one-point game, 17-16, by 6:50. Cannistraci made a layup and two free throws, and another Hartman three-pointer at 4:16 boosted Penn State Altoona's lead back up to five, 24-19. However, the Cougars outscored the Lions 13-2 over the rest of the quarter and went into halftime with a 32-26 advantage.
Chatham grew its lead in the third quarter, holding a 22-16 scoring edge over Penn State Altoona during the period. Hartman connected on another trey at 5:03 to keep her team within six, 41-35, and a pair of Matthews foul shots at 4:19 cut the Lions' deficit to four, 41-37. But the Cougars answered with a 10-2 run to stake out their first double-digit lead of the day, and the visiting team ended the third quarter in front by 12 points, 54-42.
Chatham kept a comfortable lead throughout the fourth quarter. Huston started the scoring in the period with a layup at 9:38 that brought the Lions to within 10, 54-44, but Chatham did not allow Penn State Altoona to gain any more ground the rest of the way. The Cougars went on to lead by as many as 19 points, when McClain hit a three-pointer at the 1:15 mark to give Chatham a 76-57 advantage.
Following the loss, Penn State Altoona women's basketball has one more game before flipping the calendar over to January. The Lions will travel next Thursday, December 30 to play Division II opponent Lock Haven University at 2:00 p.m.
After a short break, the Lions will return home on Saturday, January 8 to resume their Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference schedule against Hilbert College at 1:00 p.m.
