By: Frank Maira, Assistant Director of Athletics/Sports Information Director

LEMONT FURNACE, Pa. – The Penn State Mont Alto women's basketball team came out of the gate firing on all cylinders and carried a 16-9 lead over Penn State Fayette after the first quarter. However, PSU Fayette was slowly able to chip away at Mont Alto's lead and ended up winning the PSUAC contest by a 69-61 final score.

Inside the Box Score

• Three different student-athletes finished in double figures for Mont Alto with Mariah Martin (Shippensburg, Pa. / Shippensburg) leading the way with 14 points and eight rebounds. Fellow freshman forward Jazmin Walker (Hanover, Pa. / Southwestern) was the next best scorer with 13 points. She also added four rebounds and an assist.
• Kara Newell (Shippensburg, Pa. / Shippensburg) played all 40 minutes and scored 10 points to go along with six assists.
• Penn Fayette were paced by the inside-outside combination of Dae-lin Burnsworth and Taylor Costa who scored 18 and 17 points, respectively. Fayette held a 38-35 rebound advantage as each team committed 13 turnovers.

How it Happened

• Mont Alto shot its best percentage from the field within the opening quarter at 42.1 percent (8-of-9). The Nittany Lions managed to build their largest lead of the game within the quarter at nine points.
• The Roaring Lions clawed their way back in the second quarter as they took a 32-29 lead into the halftime break.
• The second and third quarters saw the teams trade the lead seven different times.
• Fayette built a double digit lead over Mont Alto and lead by as much as 14 points, but the visitors battled to the final whistle.
• PSUMA's Madison Bishop (Newville, Pa. / Big Spring) and Meagan Smith (Littlestown, Pa. / Littlestown) fought hard in the post as they combined for 16 rebounds.

Penn State Mont Alto (1-8, 0-5 PSUAC) returns to action on Monday, December 17 in a non-conference road contest against Mid-Christian Atlantic. Game time is slated for 6 p.m.