January 19th, 2009

MIDDLETOWN, PA - Penn State Harrisburg women´s basketball lose in a game of runs against the defending NEAC champions, D´Youville College Spartans, 79-62. The Lady Lions fall to 7-7 on the season with the Spartans improving to 7-8 overall.

Penn State Harrisburg started the game on an 8-0 run charged by sophomore Elizabeth Bard (Elizabethtown/Elizabethtown, PA), hitting two three pointers and a jumper to give the blue and white the early lead. Senior Spartan, Christine Halter, powered her team back into the game scoring her team´s first six points, but the Lions´ hot shooting from beyond the arc kept the 6´4" center´s scoring tangent at bay. With a little over ten minutes played, the Lady Lions were shooting 55.5 percent from the field and 60 percent from beyond the arc and most importantly an eight point lead. After the Lions´ hot streak, the Spartans came back with a 16-2 run of their own to end the first half while gaining the lead for the first time in the game. Spartan sophomore, Holly Beats, scored 10 of their 16 points to help command a 34-28 halftime lead.

The second half was just as fast pace for Penn State Harrisburg with the blue and white going on a 19-6 run in the first seven minutes while shooting 66.7 percent from the field. Past their current run, the Lady Lions turned cold while the Spartans produced another run, 39-15, to cap off the 79-62 victory.

Although shooting very well in their runs, Penn State Harrisburg shot only 35.4 percent from the field, 36 percent from beyond the arc and 58.3 percent from the foul line on the game. D´Youville shot 53.8 percent from the field and 82.1 percent from the charity stripe. D´Youville´s size proved to be too much for Penn State Harrisburg post players with the Spartans out rebounding the Lady Lions 47-25.

Penn State Harrisburg was led by Bard as she poured in 18 points while shooting 6-for-11 from the field, 4-for-6 from behind the arc, including 2-for-2 from the charity stripe. Senior Krystal Miranda (Bound Brook/S. Bound Brook, NJ) chipped in with 15 points, four assists and three steals. Senior Sandra Adames (Pontiac Northern/Pontiac, MI) tailed in eight points with eight rebounds.

D´Youville was led by Halter who scored 22 points, with 11 rebounds while shooting 9-for-12 from the field and 4-for-4 from the foul line. Beats added 19 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists while shooting 9-for-14 from the field. Melissa Kanalley chipped in 19 points, 15 which came from the line. Jonisha Scott also had an outstanding game from the Spartans with seven points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. The blue and white will return to action on Friday were they will travel to SUNY Cobleskill were they will face the hosting Fighting Tigers.