(photos courtesy of Perry Bindelglass)

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2007-2008 NEWS
 

Lions fall to Greensburg in first round of AMCC playoffs
2.26.08
Greensburg received 15 points from Nicole Reiser and used a first half run to to beat Altoona 66-40 in the first round of the AMCC playoffs at Greensburg. Greensburg will now face #2 seed Lake Erie Friday night at Medaille. Greenburg started the game on a 11-0 run before Altoona finally scored at the 14:31 mark of the first half. The Lions offensive struggles continued throughout the first half as they were held to just 17% percent shooting and the Bobcats rushed out to a 32-13 halftime lead. Despite the deficient, the Lions held the Bobcats to just 38% in shooting. As the second half began, Altoona picked up the pace on offense, and they cut the Bobcats lead to 17 with 17:41 to play. READ MORE

Bush, Lady Mounties hold off Lions
2.23.08
Altoona native Lindsey Bush scored a game-high 30 points, and Mount Aloysius watched a huge first half lead evaporate but still hung on for a 80-76 victory over Penn State Altoona Saturday afternoon at the Adler Gym.  The Lady Mounties, who are in their final year of NCAA provisional status and ineligible for postseason play, improved to 14-10 and 9-9 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference while the Lions dropped to 10-15 and 7-11 in the AMCC.  Mount Aloysius never trailed in the contest but had to fend off the pesky Lions throughout much of the day.  An Andrea Mortimer (Rimersburg, PA/Union) free throw with 6:16 remaining brought Altoona to within one, 67-66,  but a 6-0 run that included buckets by Bush and Brianna Baker pushed the lead to seven just two minutes later.  From there, the Lions would close the gap to three (79-76) with 21 seconds left, but an Emily McKenna foul shot set the final and sealed the win for the Mounties.  READ MORE

Greensburg dominates Lion women, sets up playoff rematch
2.20.08
Penn State Altoona suffered through its worst shooting night of the season, making just 18-75 field goals (24%) and 4-27 treys (14.8%) in a 80-46 setback at Pitt-Greensburg Wednesday night.  The Lions dropped to 10-14 overall and 7-10 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference while the Bobcats improved to 19-5 and 13-4 in AMCC action.  Greensburg pushed its lead to 20 (33-13) less than 13 minutes into the game and carried a commanding 45-21 advantage into intermission.  Twelve of the 13 Lady Bobcats who saw floor time scored a basket but only two reached double figures.  Kelsey Wilcox and Tiffany Menhorn netted 12 and 11 points, respectively, for the victors, who fired 41.8% from the field (33-79) and yanked an incredible 65 total rebounds.  READ MORE

Lion women can't stick with AMCC frontrunner Medaille
2.16.08
Medaille College had four players reach double figures and dominated visiting Penn State Altoona 42-18 in the paint en route to a 82-59 victory over the Lions Saturday afternoon at the Sullivan Center.  The Lady Mavs improved to 21-2 overall and 15-1 in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference play while Altoona dropped its fourth game in five outings and stands 10-13 overall, 7-9 in the AMCC.  Carissa Ferrucci scored 16 points on 8-12 field goal shooting, and three-time conference Player of the Year Amanda Baker added 16 and five rebounds in just 16 minutes of action.  Marisa Clark and Amanda Walling chipped in 14 and 12 points, respectively, for the Lady Mavs, who never trailed in the game and shot 43.4% from the floor (33-76).  All 33 of Medaille's baskets were 2-pointers as the squad only attempted three long balls on the day.  READ MORE

Lion women start slow, never recover in loss at Frostburg
2.13.08
Frostburg State shot 45% from the field, out-rebounded visiting Penn State Altoona 43-30, and never trailed in the game as the Lady Bobcats earned a 75-55 victory over the Lions Wednesday evening.  FSU improved to 7-15 overall and 4-11 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.  Altoona, which could have clinched a playoff berth with a win, fell to 10-12 and 7-8 in the AMCC.  The Bobcats scored the first eight points and led 15-2 after an Elizabeth Carrington lay up six minutes into the contest.  A Sidra Bing jumper made the score 26-12 at the 9:41 mark before the Lions used a 9-1 run to cut the deficit to six (27-21) less than two minutes later.  But Frostburg survived the rally and used an 8-0 spurt of their own to push the advantage to 15 and eventually take a 44-29 lead into the locker room.  READ MORE

Andrus helps Behrend win physical affair over Lion women
2.9.08
Penn State Behrend shot a blazing 61.9% from the field on the afternoon and received a game-high 26 points from senior guard Julia Andrus as the Erie Lions slipped past Penn State Altoona 76-64 Saturday afternoon at the Adler Gym.  Behrend improved to 11-10 overall and 9-5 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference while Altoona dropped to 10-11 and 7-7 in AMCC play.  With the game knotted at 58, sophomore guard Andrea Mortimer (Rimersburg, PA/Union) converted a lay up with 3:36 remaining to give Altoona the 60-58 lead.  But the visitors scored the next nine points capped by a pair of Andrus free throws to stake a 67-60 advantage with two minutes left.  Penn State Altoona cut the deficit to three via four straight points from Natalie Sheehan (Johnstown, PA/Westmont Hilltop), but Behrend's Kayla O'Connor drained a jumper and the Erie Lions made 7-8 foul shots in the final 1:31 to seal the win.  READ MORE

Miscues lead to women's loss at Lake Erie
2.2.08
Lake Erie placed four players in double figures and forced Penn State Altoona into a season-high 33 turnovers en route to a 71-56 victory over the visiting Lions Saturday afternoon.  The Storm, who led from buzzer from buzzer and avenged a 67-64 loss to Altoona on December 8, improved to 12-7 and 10-2 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.  The Lions had their three game winning streak snapped and fell to 9-10 and 6-6 in the AMCC.  The Storm got 25 points off the Altoona miscues and also held a 30-20 advantage in the paint.  LEC made seven more field goals and got 15 second-chance points on 15 offensive rebounds while limiting the Lions to just two fast break points.  READ MORE

Second half spurt keys women's upset of La Roche
1.30.08
Penn State Altoona placed three players in double figures and used a 15-0 run early in the second half to push past La Roche 65-52 Wednesday evening at the Adler Gym.  The Lions improved to 8-9 overall and 6-5 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference while the Redhawks dropped to 12-6 and 7-4 in the AMCC.  The visitors led 25-22 at intermission and opened the second half on a 5-1 run to stake a 30-23 advantage with 17:36 to play.  That's when things fell apart for the Hawks, who wouldn't score again for more than six minutes while the Lions hit three long balls as part of the 15-0 run to turn the tables and go ahead 38-30.  READ MORE

Greensburg uses balance, pressure defense to down Lion women
1.23.08
Pitt-Greensburg placed four players in double figures and used a stifling full court pressure defense to force 30 turnovers and earn a 92-69 victory over host Penn State Altoona Wednesday evening at the Adler Gym.  The Lady Bobcats improved to 13-3 overall and 7-2 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference while the Lions fell to 6-9 and 4-5 in the AMCC.  The contest was a tale of two halves as Altoona played neck and neck with Greensburg and trailed by only five at intermission (43-38).  But UPG used a 16-4 run to open the second half to stretch the advantage to 59-43 less than five minutes into the period.  Altoona would get no closer than 14 while, at one point, the Lady Bobcats led by as many as 34 (86-52).  READ MORE

Lady Mounties edge Lion women in high scoring affair
1.21.08
Both teams shot better than 43% from the field, and eight different players reached double figures as Mount Aloysius staved off a late Penn State Altoona rally to nip the Lions 86-83 Monday evening.  The Lady Mounties improved to 8-6 overall and 4-5 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference while Altoona dropped to 6-8 and 4-4 in the AMCC.  Mount Aloysius led for 35 of the game's 40 minutes and found themselves comfortably ahead by nine (86-77) with 34 seconds remaining.  Lion sophomore Alicia Glasser (Marion Center, PA/Marion Center) drained a three pointer with 16 ticks left, and senior Erin McGowan (Duncansville, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) hit another off a Lady Mountie giveaway with seven seconds on the clock.  A second Mount turnover gave Glasser a chance to tie the game, but her three pointer with four seconds left failed to draw net.  READ MORE

Baker, Lady Mavs too much for Lion women
1.19.08
Three-time AMCC Player of the Year Amanda Baker scored 25 points, 20 in the first half, and Medaille easily downed host Penn State Altoona 77-54 Saturday at the Adler Gym.  With the victory, the Lady Mavs won their 13th straight game and improved to 7-0 in the conference.  The Lions fell to 6-7 overall and 4-3 in the AMCC.  The Lady Mavs made eight of their first 10 shots to start the game and never trailed as they built a 44-21 advantage at intermission.  Altoona kept it close early and found itself down six with 7:06 to play.  But the 18th ranked team in the country (USA Today/ESPN Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll) finished out the half on a 21-4 run to blow the game wide open.  READ MORE

Balanced Lions use strong second half to down Frostburg, win 100th all-time game
1.16.08
Three players scored in double figures for Penn State Altoona, which used a strong second half to cruise past visiting Frostburg State 79-69 Wednesday night at the Adler Gym.  The win snapped the Lions' two game losing skid and bumped their record to 6-6 overall and 4-2 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.  Frostburg fell to 4-9 overall and 1-6 in AMCC play.  Clinging to a 36-31 lead at intermission, Penn State Altoona opened the second half on an 11-3 run and allowed the Lady Bobcats only three points in the first eight minutes of the period.  A Brittany Poorman (Altoona, PA/Altoona) lay up at the 14:34 mark pushed the advantage to double figures (44-34), and FSU would not cut it to single digits until the waning seconds.  READ MORE

Lions surrender second half lead in loss at Behrend
1.12.08
Host Penn State Behrend overcame a nine point second half deficit and outscored Penn State Altoona 38-26 in the second half to earn a 60-50 win Saturday afternoon at the Junker Center.  Behrend evened its record to 6-6 overall and improved to 4-1 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.  The visiting Lions dropped their second straight game to move to 5-6 overall and 3-2 in the AMCC.  Penn State Altoona, which led 42-33 with 12:59 remaining, managed just eight points over the game's final 13 minutes.  Behrend chipped away at the deficit and executed a 9-0 run capped off by a Jenn Emberg jumper to grab the lead with less than eight minutes to play.  The squads exchanged blows for the next three minutes until a Megan Bielanin bucket at the 4:41 mark began a 6-0 spurt that pushed Behrend ahead for good.  READ MORE

Women's basketball struggles early, falls at Lycoming
1.7.08
Penn State Altoona fell behind early and never recovered in its first game of 2008, falling 66-45 at Lycoming College Monday evening.  The loss snaps the Lions' five game winning streak and evens their record at 5-5 overall while Lycoming improved to 8-4.  After senior Erin McGowan (Duncansville, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) tied the game at 2-2 less than a minute in, Penn State Altoona did not score its next points until more than 12 minutes later at the 6:59 mark when Morgan Dougherty (West Chester, PA/Unionville) connected on a triple.  Meanwhile, the host Warriors used a 15-0 run during that span to pull away and led by 18 (33-15) at intermission thanks to an Alicia Engler jumper just seconds before the halftime horn.  READ MORE

Mortimer, Lions grind out win over Waynesburg
12.15.07
Sophomore Andrea Mortimer (Rimersburg, PA/Union) scored a career-high 25 points, and Penn State Altoona watched a comfortable double digit lead nearly disappear down the stretch as the Lions narrowly held off Waynesburg 65-60 Saturday afternoon at the Adler Gym.  The Lions won their fifth straight game and improved to 5-4 overall while Waynesburg dropped to 1-7.  The visiting Yellow Jackets, trailing 54-42 with under nine minutes remaining in the game, began an 8-0 run with a Michaelene Jones jumper and got to within five (54-49) on a Kristin Lucci free throw at the 5:17 mark.  After Jones connected on a foul shot with 2:43 left to cut the deficit to 55-52, the Lions would hit eight freebees of their own to secure the lead and set the final.  READ MORE

McGowan named AMCC Player of the Week
12.10.07
Penn State Altoona senior guard Erin McGowan (Duncansville, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) was named the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of December 10, the conference office announced Monday afternoon.  McGowan poured in a career-high 30 points against Lake Erie on December 8, stealing the inbounds pass and making a 35- foot jump shot to win the game.  In the process, she tied the school single game records for points and for three pointers made (6).  During two conference wins last week, she averaged 21.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, and 2.5 apg while shooting 53% from the field (17-32) and 46% from the three-point arc.  It is McGowan's first career AMCC Player of the Week selection and first POW selection for a Penn State Altoona women's basketball player since Tara Stock earned the honor on January 10, 2005.  For the season, McGowan leads the Lions in scoring at 14.6 points per game and ranks sixth in the conference in scoring average.

Women wear down Bradford for third straight win
12.5.07
Three players scored in double figures, and Penn State Altoona used its depth and athleticism to wear down visiting Pitt-Bradford 80-63 Wednesday night at the Adler Gym.  The Lions have won three straight games for the first time since the 2002-2003 season and improve to 3-4 overall and 2-1 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.  UPB fell to 1-6 and 0-3 in the AMCC.  Alicia Glasser (Marion Center, PA/Marion Center) came off the bench to again lead the Lions with 13 points and seven rebounds.  Erin McGowan (Duncansville, PA/Duncansville) had 12 and five boards while Courtney Carroll (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) had 11 points and a season high six steals.  All 12 Penn State Altoona players who saw action recorded at least six minutes of floor time and all but one tallied points.  READ MORE

Lion women rout Hilbert, nab first AMCC win
12.1.07
Every player on the Lion roster saw at least six minutes of floor time, and 11 different players scored as Penn State Altoona stomped Hilbert 59-33 Saturday afternoon.  Altoona won its second straight and improved to 2-4, 1-1 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference as Hilbert fell to 0-6 and 0-2 in the AMCC.  The final 20 minutes were dominated by Penn State Altoona and featured 15 field goals on 32 attempts (47%).  Sophomore Alicia Glasser (Marion Center, PA/Marion Center) came off the bench and had nine of her game high 16 points in the second half, helping the Lion reserves outscore the Hilbert bench 29-4.  READ MORE

Glasser, Proper shoot Lions to first win of season
11.29.07
Freshman Cassie Proper (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) and sophomore Alicia Glasser (Marion Center, PA/Marion Center) combined for six of Penn State Altoona's 10 three pointers as the Lions bombed their way to a 66-54 win over Saint Vincent Thursday at the Adler Gym.  The Lady Bearcats, who made only 3-10 long balls, fell to 1-4 overall while the hosts improved to 1-4 and got their first win in five starts.  Trailing 24-22 at intermission, the Lady Bearcats used a 16-5 run to turn the tide and grab a 38-28 advantage with 13:44 left in the game.  But consecutive threes by Glasser and senior Erin McGowan (Duncansville, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) cut the deficit to four before Proper's triple with just under four minutes to play gave the Lions a lead they would not relinquish.  READ MORE

First half lapse dooms Lion women in AMCC opener
11.28.07
La Roche shot 56% from the field in the first half and used a key 17-2 spurt to down visiting Penn State Altoona 74-66 Wednesday night in both squads' Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference openers.  The Redhawks improved to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the conference while the Lions remain winless at 0-4 and 0-1 in the AMCC.  The two teams flip-flopped leads throughout the game's first nine minutes before Altoona found itself ahead 19-17 with 11:01 remaining in the half.  A good lay up and subsequent foul shot by Jaquaylia Kessler gave the hosts the lead and started a 17-2 run that included three consecutive triples by shooting guard Jena Kacsur.  READ MORE

Lion women drop physical affair to Juniata
11.20.07
Penn State Altoona and Juniata committed a combined 61 turnovers and 56 personal fouls Tuesday night at the Adler Gym as the Lady Eagles survived a late Altoona surge to nab a 79-73 victory.  Juniata improved to a perfect 3-0 while the Lions remained winless at 0-3.  An old fashioned three point play by Jess Hnatuck with 7:15 to play capped a 10-2 Lady Eagle run and gave the visitors a comfortable 62-47 advantage.  But Penn State Altoona slowly chipped away, and sophomore Alicia Glasser's (Marion Center, PA/Marion Center) lay up at the 2:21 mark pulled the Lions within three (69-66).  READ MORE

Women's Basketball falls to Washington & Jefferson
11.17.07
Washington & Jefferson bolted to a 15-2 lead after four minutes and never looked back en route to an 88-56 thumping of Penn State Altoona Saturday in the Washington & Jefferson Holiday Inn Classic.  W&J improved to 2-0 on the year while Penn State Altoona was handed its second straight setback.  The Lions were out-rebounded 51-22 and trailed by 24 (50-26) at intermission.  W&J outscored Penn State Altoona 28-12 in the paint and got 20 more points off second chance opportunities.  READ MORE

Women's Basketball opens season with loss to Westminster
11.16.07
Penn State Altoona managed just seven field goals and 22% shooting in the first half en route to an 81-64 loss to Westminster College in the opening game of the Washington & Jefferson Holiday Inn Classic Friday.  It was the first game of the season for both the Lions (0-1) and Lady Titans (1-0).  Westminster, however, started the game by shooting 46% in the first half (13-28) to stake a 36-21 lead at intermission.  Terese Marszalek scored 10 of her game high 26 points in the opening period, and teammate Rachel Martinko chipped in with eight points and nine rebounds before the break.  READ MORE

2007-2008 SEASON PREVIEW:  New-look Lions anxious, optimistic for upcoming season
11.7.07
Equipped with four experienced returnees and nine promising newcomers, head coach Donna Kling and the Penn State Altoona women's basketball team will look to improve on last year's 6-19 campaign in which the Lions finished eighth in the 10-team Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.  The 2007-2008 squad is arguably the most talented Kling has had, and the third year bench boss hopes the current mix of players will yield positive results.  Seniors Brittany Poorman and Erin McGowan along with sophomores Andrea Mortimer and Morgan Dougherty will lead the 07-08 Lions.  Poorman, the school's fourth all-time leading scorer with 728 career points, led the squad in scoring last season averaging 10.7 points per game.  The Altoona High School graduate is a legitimate inside-outside threat and also grabbed more than four rebounds a game last year.  McGowan is best known for her three point shooting ability but has also improved as a ball handler and on-ball defender.  She has appeared in 75 career games for Penn State Altoona.  READ MORE

Men seventh, women eighth in AMCC Preseason Basketball Polls
11.7.07
The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference released the 2007-2008 Men's and Women's Basketball Preseason polls Wednesday as voted on by the conference coaches.  One year removed from earning its first-ever AMCC playoff bid, the Lion men have been picked to finish seventh in the 10-team field ahead of La Roche, Mount Aloysius, and Pitt-Greensburg.  Perennial powers Lake Erie and Penn State Behrend finished in a tie for the top spot with Hilbert, Pitt-Bradford, and Frostburg State rounding out the top five.  Senior forward Quintin Dziabo (Cresson, PA/Penn Cambria) was tabbed as a player to watch this season after averaging 13 points and 6.2 rebounds and earning Honorable Mention All-AMCC honors last year.  On the women's side, the Lions were picked to finish eighth in front of Mount Aloysius and Hilbert after checking in at ninth place at last season's end.  Defending AMCC Champion Medaille is the preseason pick to win the league while Penn State Behrend and Lake Erie finished the voting in a tie for second.  Guards Brittany Poorman (Altoona, PA/Altoona) and Andrea Mortimer (Rimersburg, PA/Union), two of four Altoona returnees, were tabbed as players to watch for the Lions.  Poorman led the Lions in scoring last year averaging nearly 11 points a night while Mortimer enjoyed a superb freshman campaign in which she contributed 9.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.  To view the complete AMCC Men's and Women's Basketball Preseason Polls as well as players to watch, click the links below.

AMCC Men's Preseason Poll                        AMCC Women's Preseason Poll

Organizational meeting scheduled for any students interested in trying out
9.4.07
An organizational meeting has been scheduled for any women interested in trying out for the Penn State Altoona women's basketball team.  The meeting will be held on Thursday, September 6th, at 5:00 PM in the Brown Room which is located on the second floor of the Adler Athletic Complex.  All interested women are strongly encouraged to attend and learn more about the women's basketball program. Prospective players should also visit the Athletic Training and Sports Medicine page on the Penn State Altoona athletics website, download and complete the two physical forms, and bring those to the meeting.  Student-athletes may not practice until physical papers are fully completed and turned in.  Please contact head women's basketball coach Donna King with questions via e-mail at dtk3@psu.edu.