Late Surge Lifts Lions Over Hiram in Season Opener

ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend women's basketball team had three players in double figures, led by Holly Bourquin (Pittsburgh, PA/Fox Chapel) with a game-high 14 points to post a 53-43 season-opening victory over Hiram in the first round of the Behrend Tip-Off Tournament on Friday night.

Aly Eagle (Harmony, PA/Seneca Valley) and Brittany Wilwohl (Erie, PA/Villa Maria Academy) each put up 10 points to lift the Lions (1-0) into the championship game tomorrow against Marietta, a 64-57 winner over Bethany in the first game of the night.

Julia Myers (Edinboro, PA/General McLane) and Kim Pol (Erie, PA/Collegiate Academy) played a big role in the 49-39 rebounding advantage on the night. Myers grabbed a game-best nine boards, while Pol managed to pull down eight.

The Terriers (0-2) were led by Kelsey Koskinen with 10 points.

Behrend used a 14-2 run over a six-minute span in the second half to take a nine-point lead and eventually pushing it to double-digits by the end.

In the second stanza, Lindsey Buckner hit a jumper at the 11:32 mark to give Hiram a 32-29 edge and its last lead of the contest.  The Lions hit two of their four triples of the half in the run thanks to Wilwohl and Brianna Bayly (Imperial, PA/West Allegheny). An Emily Detsch (St. Mary's, PA/Elk County Catholic) layup with 5:30 left to play gave Behrend its largest advantage up until that point at 43-34.

Three free throws by Hiram made it a six-point game, but a 10-3 spurt down the stretch put the Lions ahead for good.

In the first half, both teams struggled to find the basket with a combined 13 field-goals made for a 22-21 Hiram lead at the break.

Overall, the Lions also held the Terriers to 1-for-24 from behind the arc and 22.2 percent shooting from the field.