New Kensington, PA - The Lady Lions welcomed Penn State Scranton to the athletic center Saturday for a PSUAC cross-conference showdown.
The visitor's from North Eastern PA jumped out to a 19-8 lead at the end of the first quarter, thanks to an 11-2 outburst to start the game. The Lady Lions responded in the second quarter, keeping Scranton within striking distance at the half, 38-29.
New Kensington came out strong in the second half, outscoring Scrangton 21-13 in the third to cut the lead to 51-50 entering the fourth quarter. Both teams traded the lead back and forth throughout the final period. After falling behind 66-64 with just over two minutes to play, the Lady Lions used a 7-1 run down the stretch to capture their first victory of the young season.
New Ken had their way in the paint all night, outscoring Scranton 48-24 down low. This output led to the Lady Lions finishing just below 40% from the field as a team
The Lady Lions finished the night just below 40% from the field as a team. A lot of the offensive success can be contributed to the dominance in the paint, outscoring Scranton 48-24 for the game.
New Ken had several stellar performances on the night. Destiny Batiste (Thibodaux, LA) finished the game with a double-double, leading the team in both points (24) and rebounds (16). Guard Jayde Rivera (Dover, DE) chipped in 19 points and Esther Cole (Brooklyn, NY) added 15 of her own on 7-10 shooting. Forward Jada Norman (New Kensington, PA) also filled the stat sheet, finishing with 8 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 steals.
The win brings the Lady Lions record to 1-1 on the season. They will look to continue their success after Thanksgiving break when they travel to Penn State Dubois on November 28th for another PSUAC cross conference showdown.
Stay tuned at PSNKathletics.com.
