Lehigh Valley Downs Women’s Basketball with 2nd-Half Rally
Up by 12 at halftime, York can’t hold on against #8 Penn State Lehigh Valley
January 23, 2018
Playing against a Penn State Lehigh Valley squad ranked eighth in the latest USCAA Division II poll, and which won by 37 points in this season's earlier meeting, Penn State York Women's Basketball couldn't hold onto a halftime lead, ultimately losing 76–60 at home on Tuesday, Jan. 23.
Penn State York held Andrea Watkins, the 2016–17 PSUAC and USCAA Player of the Year, in check for most of the game, limiting her to 13 points on 4–11 shooting. Ebony Sanders picked up the slack for Lehigh Valley, however, with a game-high 30 points and 19 rebounds.
York's Emily Colon (Lancaster Catholic) had another double-double, recording 19 points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort.
Colon went 4–6 for 9 points in the second quarter, when York built a 12-point lead going into the half. A Charizma Johnson (West York) 3-pointer to open the second half put York up by 15, but Lehigh Valley then quickly reeled off 13 straight points to narrow the gap.
Four turnovers by York in the final two minutes of the third quarter led to six straight points and a small lead for Lehigh Valley, which was in the midst of a 20–0 run that would continue through the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter, putting the game out of reach.
Sanders helped Penn State Lehigh Valley to a 47–35 advantage on the boards, and the visitors' defense held York to only 28% shooting, compared to Lehigh Valley's 49%.
With the loss, Penn State York falls to 8–9 overall, and sits right in the middle of the PSUAC standings at 4–4. York travels to the western part of the state to play Penn State Beaver on Friday, Jan. 26, then Penn State Greater Allegheny, Saturday, Jan. 27, before returning for three straight home games to open February.