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

PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. – The Penn State Mont Alto women's basketball team was in action Tuesday evening and closed out non-conference play with a 70-45 loss to Valley Forge. 

Inside the Box Score

• Mariah Martin (Shippensburg, Pa. / Shippensburg) led Mont Alto with 21 points and 10 rebounds. She knocked down 6-of-14 shots from the field.
• PSUMA were unable to overcome 27 turnovers. The Patriots shot 36.9% from the field and were proficient from downtown draining 12-of-35 attempts.
• Freshman guard Grace Banfe (Greencastle, Pa. / Shalom Christian Academy) chipped in 11 points.

How it Happened

• It was a back and forth battle through the first four minutes of the first quarter with Banfe knocking down three-straight free throws to give Mont Alto the 11-9 lead.  Mariah Martin (Shippensburg, Pa. / Shippensburg) knocked down a pair from the line to make it 13-15 with 3:15 remaining in the quarter.
• The Patriots closed on a 10-0 run and extended its lead to 30-19 with a Shaina Walker layup with 7:06 left in the half.  Mont Alto went on a scoring spurt of its own to cut lead to 34-27 after a Meagan Smith (Littlestown, Pa. / Littlestown) layup. Mont Alto went into halftime trailing by nine points (36-27).
• It was a cold shooting third quarter that allowed Valley Forge to run away with the game. They outscored Mont Alto 21-10 and carried a 57-37 advantage into the final period. The Patriots coasted down the final 10 minutes of action.

Mont Alto (8-14, 5-11 PSUAC) can still clinch a PSUAC playoff berth with a win on Friday against Brandywine and they need help, as the spot will be clinched with a PSU Greater Allegheny loss. Both games are slated for 6 p.m. on Friday with Mont Alto hosting PSU Brandywine at the Multipurpose Activities Center.