Foul shots sink Women’s Basketball in AMCC matchup against Penn State Altoona

PITTSBURGH --- Carlow University women's basketball lost a 72-58 AMCC contest to Penn State Altoona at Donahue Pavilion Wednesday night.

The Lions (13-9, 10-5 AMCC) jumped out to a quick start and did not allow the Celtics (11-10, 8-7 AMCC) any chance of a comeback.

Sydney Carr and Emiley Hillgartner led Carlow with 17 points each. Hillgartner added five steals, two assists and a block, and Shaelyn Clark tallied three assists and two blocks.

The Lions scored 12 unanswered points to start the game before Hillgartner broke the seal on Carlow's basket with a layup five minutes later. Both teams struggled to land shots in the second quarter as Penn State Altoona took a nine-point lead into halftime.

The Lions maintained a double-digit advantage over the Celtics through the third quarter, pushing their lead to 14 at one point in the quarter. A trey from Carr cut Altoona's lead to seven midway through the fourth, but the Lions outscored Carlow 20-18 to secure the win. Altoona scored all 12 of its final points of the game at the foul line.

The Lions shot 79.2 percent from the foul line, scoring 19 points there alone on the evening.

Carlow forced 14 Altoona turnovers and outscored the Lions 26-22 in the paint. The Celtics also tallied 23 second-chance points, but Altoona outrebounded Carlow 55-42.

Jaidyn McCracken and Avana Sayles led the Lions with a game-high 22 points apiece. Sayles had a double-double with 19 rebounds and three blocks. Jordan Bisignani also recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Carlow travels to Pitt Bradford for a 2 p.m. AMCC game Feb. 10.