(ERIE, PA:)  Host Penn State Behrend overcame a nine point second half deficit and outscored Penn State Altoona 38-26 over the final 20 minutes 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.

Both teams finished the night with 19 made field goals, but the point discrepancy came at the free throw line, where Behrend went 19-23 (82.6%).  Altoona only got to the line 10 times, making nine of the attempts (90%).

Julia Andrus fronted the victors with 13 points while teammate Amy Oldach came off the bench to score 10 and pull five rebounds.  Bielanin ended with nine, and Emberg and Natalie Engel contributed eight apiece.

Senior guard Erin McGowan (Duncansville, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) again led the Penn State Altoona attack, scoring 15 points on 6-16 shooting.  Sophomore Andrea Mortimer added 13 off the bench and was a perfect 5-5 from the field.

McGowan scored four of the game's first six points as Altoona jumped out to a 6-0 lead.  The Lions led for all but a three-and-a-half minute span in the opening half despite committing 12 turnovers and allowing nine offensive rebounds.

The visitors led 24-22 at the break and shot 47.6% from the field in the first half (10-21) compared to only 26.7% shooting (8-30) by Penn State Behrend.  The back-and-forth contest featured seven ties and nine lead changes with the final margin of 10 being the largest advantage of the night.

Behrend received 22 points via 25 Penn State Altoona turnovers and shot considerably better in the second half, hitting 11-26 from the field for 42.3%.  The Erie Lions now lead the all-time series 13-5 and have won 10 of the last 11 meetings between the two schools.

Altoona returns to action this Wednesday, January 16, for a 6:00 PM AMCC match-up with Frostburg State at the Adler Gym.

CONTACT:        Penn State Altoona Sports Information
                           Steve Crider  --  SID
                           814-949-5173
                           sac310@psu.edu