BUFFALO, NY – The No. 5 Penn State Behrend women's basketball team upset fourth-seeded Medaille 63-57 in the first round of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Tournament on Wednesday night at the Sullivan Center.
The Lions (13-13) look to continue the hot streak of five straight wins in the AMCC semifinals on Saturday against No. 1 seed Hilbert at 1 p.m. Erika Woll (Erie, PA/Mercyhurst Prep) scored 17 points over the first three quarters and finished with a game high of 22 while dishing out a career-high 10 assists.
Dani Reinwald led the Mavericks (14-12) with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Falling behind 6-2 in the first five minutes of the game, Behrend went on a 10-3 run to take a 12-9 edge after the first quarter. In a back-and-forth second quarter, the Lions broke a 24-all tie with a 6-0 run in the final minute to make it 30-24. Medaille managed to cut the lead by one with a three-pointer buzzer beat at 30-29.
Behrend outscored the Mavericks 19-11 in the third quarter, pulling away in the final three minutes. A quick pull-up jumper in the paint by Ally Dillman (Erie, PA/McDowell) pushed the lead to 45-38 with under two minutes to play and then the ensuing fast-break layup by Woll make it a nine-point game. The Mavericks got a pair of free throws to drop and the next possession for the Lions, Behrend got a bucket off two offensive rebounds and then a good jumper from Autumn Byes (Erie, PA/Villa Maria Academy).
During the regular season, the Lions committed less turnovers yet fell to the Mavericks in both contests but tonight Behrend converted the turnovers to points. A Medaille turnover led to a Woll layup for a 10-point lead and then Dillman drained a triple to make it 55-43 with xx time remaining in the game.
The Mavericks pulled within six points with under two minutes. The next basket belonged to the Lions thanks to a missed Medaille three-pointer and then a basketball from Byes with 57.1 seconds left, forcing a Mavericks timeout at 59-51.
Medaille started to foul with 30 seconds left to get the ball back, but Woll got both shots to fall for a 60-51 advantage with 20.5 to play. The Mavericks managed to score five points in 10 seconds and then got possession back on a turnover. Reinwald was sent to the line at 61-56, making the second one with three seconds showing on the clock.
Woll went to the line one more time and made both shots for a six-point win.
Nicole Boyer (Blairsville, PA/Blairsville) and Dillman contributed 12 points apiece.
Behrend returns to action on Saturday at Hilbert. Game time is 1 p.m.