Cold fourth quarter costs Lions in road setback at Mont Alto

Penn State Schuylkill women's basketball closed out its pre-Thanksgiving slate with a 60–41 road loss at Penn State Mont Alto on Saturday afternoon. The Lions trailed 18–13 at the half, then used a strong third quarter to pull within five before Mont Alto's late surge decided it.

Ava Novak powered Schuylkill inside with a double-double, posting 12 points and 11 rebounds to go with 2 assists and 2 steals. Mikayla Johnson added 7 points, 6 rebounds and a three-pointer, while Alli Crockett chipped in 8 points with two threes. Off the bench, Madison Cooper provided a spark with 4 points and 5 rebounds, and Tayla Jones added 3 points and 3 boards.

After falling behind 12–7 after the opening quarter, Schuylkill hung tough defensively in the second to keep it a one-possession game for much of the period and went into the locker room down just 18–13. The offense clicked in the third as the Lions put up 20 points in the frame, attacking the glass and getting multiple second-chance opportunities to trim the deficit to 38–33 heading to the fourth.

Mont Alto responded by getting downhill and to the foul line in the final 10 minutes, outscoring Schuylkill 22–8 in the quarter. Dariana Perez led Mont Alto with 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Shanez Morales added 15 points and 10 rebounds as the hosts took control late.

By the Numbers (PSU Schuylkill)

• Novak – 12 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals

• Johnson – 7 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal

• Crockett – 8 points, 2 threes, 2 rebounds

• Serena Jones – 6 points, 3 steals, 2 rebounds

• Cooper – 4 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist off the bench

• Jones (Tayla) – 3 points, 3 rebounds

• Team rebounds – 37 (16 offensive)

Team Stats

• FG: 16-for-56 (28.6%)

• 3FG: 3-for-23 (13.0%)

• FT: 6-for-11 (54.5%)

• Rebounds: Mont Alto 44, Schuylkill 37

• Turnovers: Schuylkill 21, Mont Alto 16

Next Up
Penn State Schuylkill heads into a short break before returning home for a nonconference matchup against King's on Tuesday, December 2.