Cresson, Pa. -- Mount Aloysius women's basketball earned a win and a loss across a busy conference weekend this Saturday and Sunday. The Mounties fell to the Penn State Behrend Lions on January 27th before defeating the Hilbert Hawks on the 28th. 

Game 1 (Behrend):

The first quarter opened slow for both teams. The Mounties struggled with Behrend's press, committing nine turnovers in the first ten minutes of action, while Behrend struggled to capitalize on these opportunities with just 36% shooting from the floor. Down six going into the second, the Mounties would continue to struggle with ball security, but find offensive success through eight points in four minutes from freshman forward Molly Kosmack (Homer City, Pa., Homer-Center).

Sophomore Molly Richards (Naples, Fla., Naples) would also impact the second, breaking Mountie cold streak with a late three and a successful drive. However, the hosts would finish the quarter on a two minute scoreless stretch, ending the first half down 15. Both teams would stay cold, with the Mounties shooting 42.2 / 27.3 / 66.7 for the game, while the Lions would go 37.8 / 30 / 77.3. Turnovers would be the difference maker, with Mount Aloysius committing 32 across the contest to Behrend's 19.

The Mounties came out of halftime ferociously, with guards Angelina Kohlwaies (Lake Worth, Fla., Cardinal Newman) and Jade Love-Morris (Elizabethtown, Pa., Elizabethtown) scoring both inside and outside while coming up with consecutive stops. The onslaught continued through to the third minute of the third, when freshman guard Annalyn Isaacs (Mars, Pa., Mars) would electrify her team with a game tying three. Even at 50-50, Behrend would hit back, attacking the paint to retake a seven point advantage going into the final quarter.

Mount Aloysius would continue to battle in the fourth, but struggled to put together meaningful stops. The Lions maintained their lead for most of the final quarter, before a final fast break would put them out of reach, ending the game 66-82 to the visitors.


Game 2 (Hilbert):

The slowest start of the season for the Mounties, Sunday's matchup saw a first quarter which featured Hilbert shooting 21% from the floor while Mount Aloysius shot just 6.7%. Thankfully, the cold shooting wouldn't last for the Mounties, who opened the second 3 for 4, leveling the game at 13-13 two minutes into the quarter. Kosmack got to work inside, scoring nine of the Mounties 17 second quarter points to pull her team within three going into the second half.

Early shot making threatened to grow Hilbert's lead, but junior guard Chloe Clemons (Kailua, Hawaii, Kalaheo) steadied the ship with an early three as Kosmack continued to pound the interior. Love-Morris would lead the Mounties in points, scoring seven straight in the final two minutes of the third to send the game into the fourth with a three point Mount Aloysius lead. Love-Morris would end with 22 points, adding in 3 assists and 5 rebounds. 

In addition to scoring, Kosmack's post defense shut down Hilbert inside, as she would collect 5 blocks for the game while grabbing 12 rebounds, adding in 21 points. The fourth would go the Mounties way, with the hosts outscoring their opponents 21-11 in the final ten minutes of play, ending the contest 60-47 for Mount Aloysius. 

 

Up Next:

The Mounties host AMCC rival Penn State Altoona this Wednesday, January 31st. PSA enters the contest 10-9 overall and 7-5 in conference, coming off a 68-34 win over Wells.