Lady Barons Suffer Tough Loss to Penn State Altoona

The Lady Barons traveled to Penn State Altoona for their fourth contest of the season on Wednesday night.  After a decent start, the Lady Barons gradually let the game slip away, falling behind by a considerable margin at half time, and eventually losing, 88-27. 

The Lady Barons were competitive in the beginning of the contest.  They scored the opening basket on a lay-up from Sarah Viancourt, and also held a 4-2 lead for the first three minutes of the game.  However, Penn State Altoona stole all of the momentum, going on a 13-0 to take a 15-4 lead which they never relinquished.  By halftime, Penn State Altoona had increased their lead to a commanding 36-14 advantage.

Penn State Altoona's offense carried their momentum into the second half, and the Lady Barons continued to struggle on both sides of the court.  They opened the half with a 14-0 run to take a 60-14 lead, and then cruised to a 88-27 win.

"The game was ugly," Lady Barons Head Coach Kelly Herrmann stated bluntly in a post game interview, "They put a lot of pressure on us, and we didn't respond to it well."  Coach Herrmann also noted that leading scorer Cara Mitchell was injured early in the game, taking away a significant dimension of their offense. 

However, Coach Herrmann was quick to acknowledge the efforts of her players, and she said that they were working on placing the crushing loss behind them:  "I told the girls after the game that we've just got to learn as we go.  That's the way it's going to be in the AMCC, there's a lot of pressure.  It was tough game, but the girls kept their heads up, and we'll be ready for Sunday."

Sarah Viancourt was the Lady Barons' lead scorer for the night with twelve points.  Center Nicole Naugle had five rebounds and four blocks, while Kristin Belleque had six points and Angelle Cupit contributed five rebounds. 

That Lady Barons' next contest is at home on Sunday against University of Pitt Bradford.