×

Behrend just too hot for Mounties

By Jamie Eichenlaub

For the Mirror

CRESSON — Penn State Behrend spoiled any chance of home cooking for the host Mount Aloysius women’s basketball team Wednesday night.

Katie Chess scored the first basket of the game early in the first quarter, and the Lions never looked back, running away with a 91-64 rout of the Lady Mounties at the Athletic Convocation and Wellness Center in the first round of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference playoffs.

Penn State Behrend, the fifth seed, didn’t have any trouble getting warmed up in the first half. The Lions shot 57 percent from the floor (17-of-30) and took a commanding 43-27 lead into halftime over the fourth-seeded Lady Mounties.

“They put their shots in from everywhere on the floor,” said Mount Aloysius coach Kristi Little-Kaack, whose team ended its season at 11-15. “They shot the ball well from everywhere.”

After the Mount’s Alexia Servello, a Hollidaysburg grad, scored in the lane to tie the game at 7-7 in the opening quarter, the Lions rattled off 11 straight points over the next 3¢ minutes for an 18-7 advantage. Penn State Behrend closed the opening quarter with a 20-12 edge, and continued to roll into halftime.

The Mount turned up the defensive pressure to start the second half, using a full-court press and tight defense to create more of a hectic pace. The strategy worked, forcing Penn State Behrend into 21 second-half turnovers. However, the Mount just couldn’t convert, shooting just 23 percent from the floor.

“Every time we got a steal off that press, we just couldn’t hit the open shots that we got,” said Little-Kaack. “I think we forced a lot of turnovers, we just didn’t capitalize on them.”

The Mount couldn’t chip into the lead any more than 11 points, 45-34, in the second half and that was following a baseline driving layup from Breana Kendrick, a Tussey Mountain grad, early in the third quarter.

On the flip side, Penn State Behrend protected its lead very well in the third quarter by taking advantage of scoring opportunities at the free throw line. The Lions hit all 10 of their free throws — six by Ali Goetz and four from Chess — in the third quarter, and followed that by making 14-of-16 free throws in the final quarter.

“The second half was 24 of 26 from the free throw line,” Penn State Behrend third-year coach Christne Slater said. “We’ve been practicing them because the last few games we haven’t been hitting them. I’m glad we got them this game.”

Penn State Behrend improved to 11-15 overall and will travel to top-seeded La Roche College — an unblemished 18-0 in the AMCC regular season and 21-4 overall — for a semifinal matchup Saturday.

“I’m excited that we’re moving on,” Slater said. “La Roche is tough competition. We feel like we compete with them; I think we can put up a good fight.”

The Mount Aloysius roster is full of underclassmen — four juniors, two sophomores and four freshmen — with only one senior, Antwanye’ Parks, who finished her career with a 10-point, six-rebound performance.

“Losing AP, people look at it as losing one player, but what she brings to the table every night is strength, defensive effort and just leadership,” Little-Kaack said. “We have the core to do it, we just gotta get a better supporting cast down low (in the post), especially.”

PENN STATE BEHREND (91): Razzano 4-8 2-2 14, Glenn 3-5 0-0 6, Woll 5-9 4-4 16, Zielinski 1-7 0-0 2, Chess 6-9 6-6 18, Boyer 0-1 2-2 2, Langhorst 3-4 1-5 7, Kinecki 3-6 0-0 6, Goetz 3-4 12-14 18, Thomas 0-0 2-2 2. TOTALS – 28-53 29-35 91.

MOUNT ALOYSIUS (64): Bracken 3-15 1-2 7, Kendrick 3-14 0-0 8, Wright 3-8 8-8 16, Servello 3-9 0-0 6, Parks 3-7 2-2 10, Drenning 0-0 0-0 0, Cordell 2-5 3-4 7, Sammarco 1-6 0-0 3, Kulick 1-12 5-10 7. TOTALS – 19-76 19-26 64.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Penn State Behrend 20 23 21 27 – 91

Mount Aloysius 12 15 20 17 – 64

3-point field goals: Penn State Behrend 6-13 (Razzano 4-5, Woll 2-4, Zielinski 0-4), Mount Aloysius 7-37 (Bracken 0-4, Kendrick 2-9, Wright 2-6, Servello 0-3, Parks 2-5, Sammarco 1-4, Kulick 0-6). Rebounds: Penn State Behrend 49 (Chess, Kinecki 10), Mount Aloysius 36 (Parks, Cordell 6). Assists: Penn State Behrend 19 (Goetz 4), Mount Aloysius 10 (Servello 4). A: 231.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

Starting at $4.39/week.

Subscribe Today