ERIE, Pa. – Erika Woll (Erie, PA/Mercyhurst Prep) scored a career-high 32 points to lead the Penn State Behrend women's basketball team past Pitt-Bradford 84-75 in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) action on Saturday.
Woll tallied 20 of those points in the first two quarters that helped the Lions (5-8, 3-3 AMCC) take a 15-point halftime lead and snap a nine-game losing streak to the Panthers (4-7, 2-4 AMCC). Woll also set a career high with 12 field-goals made and tied her best with seven steals to go along with six rebounds and five assists.
Behrend also go double-figure points from Ally Dillman (Erie, PA/McDowell) with 17, Emily Kinecki (Erie, PA/Mercyhurst) with 16 and Autumn Byes (Erie, PA/Villa Maria Academy) with 11.
Ali Rinfrette, who leads the AMCC in points per game, dropped a team-best 28 points on 11-for-19 shooting.
Woll broke open a 10-all tie in the first quarter with all 10 points coming in the final 3:44 to give the Lions a 23-14 lead. That momentum carried over to the second quarter, where she found the open lane or finished a fast-break opportunity for another 10 points and a 46-31 lead heading into the locker rooms. Dillman led the second period with 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting to give Behrend a comfortable 15-point lead with 20 minutes left to play.
Pitt-Bradford made it interesting after the break and outscored Behrend 24-11, going on a 13-1 run in the third quarter to get within two points with one quarter left to play.
Rinfrette tied the game at 57-all with a jumper just 31 seconds into the fourth period. The Lions regained a double-digit with 4:52 remaining at 70-60. The Panthers made it 72-69 at the 2:59 mark, but Behrend forced four turnovers down the stretch and went 6-for-8 from the charity stripe to secure the win.
Woll shot 12-for-18 from the field and 8-for-10 from the free-throw line. Kinecki led the team with eight rebounds, while Byes and Nicole Boyer (Blairsville, PA/Blairsville) each grabbed seven boards.
The Lions return to action on Wednesday at Hilbert. Game time is 8 p.m.