BUFFALO, NY – The D'Youville women's basketball team ignited in the second half for the come-from-behind 68-54 victory over Penn State Behrend in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) action on Wednesday night.
Shannon Dougherty scored 11 of her team-best 14 points in the second half to help the Spartans (9-10, 7-5 AMCC) outscore the Lions (2-15, 1-10 AMCC) 37-21 in the final 20 minutes. Three other players were in double figures for D'Youville, including Danette Laguerre and Alexis Smith with 11 points and Jean-Ann Korona adding 10.
Ally Burke (Erie, PA/Mercyhurst) put up a game-high 17 points. Brittany Kiger (White Oak, PA/McKeesport) posted her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 boards.
After a close first half in which Behrend finished with a two-point lead, the Spartans started off the second half on a 17-2 run and the Lions could not recover.
D'Youville only missed one shot taken in the seven and a half minutes that gave them a 50-37 lead. A small burst by Behrend made it a nine-point deficit at 53-44, but that is the closest the Lions would get to the Spartans.
In the first half that saw five ties, Behrend finished strong with a jump shot by Brianna Bayly (Imperial, PA/West Allegheny), two free throws by Burke and a three-pointer by Rachel Razzano (New Castle, PA/New Castle) with 47 seconds left for a 33-31 lead at intermission.
Bayly was the third player in double-digit scoring for the Lions, matching Kiger with 10.
As a team, Behrend went 10-for-12 from the free-throw line and the Spartans won on the glass, 42-32.
The Lions return to action on Saturday against Mt. Aloysius. Game time is 4 p.m.