Scranton Lady Lions Drop Tournament Championship Game

By: Ross Turetsky, Penn State Scranton Athletics

In a late Saturday afternoon home matinee, the Penn State Scranton Lady Lions basketball squad lost their first contest of the season falling in the tip-off tournament championship game to visiting non-conference foe Central Penn by a score of 76-38. With the defeat, Scranton's three game winning streak to start the young hoops season was snapped but the ball club still holds a stellar 3-1 overall record.

The road warriors from Central Penn outscored Scranton 17-6 in the first quarter of play, 31-12 in the second period, 22-7 in the third frame, before the Lions roared back and outscored their opponent 13-6 in the fourth and final stanza, but in the end, Central Penn cruised to their dominant 38 point triumph to capture the tournament championship trophy by game's end.

The Lions from Scranton had the dynamic duo of freshman guard Lexi Iveson and senior Alahnna Balbach post stalwart double digit scoring performances to lead the way offensively for their ball club. Iveson scored a team-high 15 points, going 1-2 from three point range, and shooting a solid 10-14 from the charity stripe, to go along with her quartet of rebounds on the day. Balbach notched another double-double tallying 11 points and 10 boards, shooting 4-7 from the field, connecting on her only three point attempt, and had a steal to boot. Honorable mention also goes to freshman Lexi Corby who grabbed a whopping game-high 11 rebounds, to go along with her six points, and a steal on defense.

Meanwile, Central Penn had a hat trick of players score in double figures, as Ahnae Robinson, Sidney Green, and Briel Herbert set the pace for their squad. Robinson just missed out on an impressive triple-double performance, as she scored a game-high 22 points, had nine boards, and nine assists, to go along with a three pointer she made, shot 8-18 from the field, had a stingy six steals on the defensive side of the ball, and chipped in a pair of blocks as well. Green tallied 19 points on an efficient 9-17 shooting from the field, to go along with her four assists, and a rebound. Last but certainly not least, Herbert put up 10 points, four boards, a pair of assists, and a couple of steals during the day's festivities.

Now veteran head coach Tom McIntyre and his 3-1 Penn State Scranton Lady Lions basketball squad will look to bounce back and capture a big win when they next host local non-conference foe Clarks Summit University this Tuesday evening with tip-off scheduled for 6pm.