Scranton Lady Lions Basketball Drop Conference Battle to Mont Alto

By: Ross Turetsky, Penn State Scranton Athletics

On Wednesday evening, the visiting Penn State Scranton Lady Lions basketball squad lost a conference showdown to Penn State Mont Alto 67-41. With the loss, Scranton sees their overall record go to 0-13 and 0-10 in the all-important league play.

The hometown Mont Alto Lions got off to a hot start and never looked back, as they outscored Scranton 19-9 in the first quarter, 18-7 in the second, 18-13 in the third, and in the fourth and final frame both ball clubs battled to a 12-12 draw. By the game's final buzzer, Mont Alto would enjoy their dominant 26 point victory.

Scranton was led on offense by their one player who scored in double figures on the day, as freshman stand-out guard Megan Gatto set the pace for her team. Gatto notched a double-double, as she scored a game-high 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, to go along with her four steals on defense, two blocks, sinking one of her three attempts from beyond the arc, and had an assist in her stalwart 39 minutes of play. Honorable mention also goes to senior team captain Sam Collins, sophomore forward Alicia Gagner, and freshman guard Emily Cron who had solid contributions in the contest. Collins provided a nice low post presence in the game and just missed out on scoring in double figures, with nine points, seven boards, two assists, and two blocks. Gagner and Cron both helped out, as Gagner nabbed 10 rebounds and Cron snatched seven boards in the matchup.

Meanwhile on the Mont Alto side of things, they were led on offense by the dynamic duo of freshman guard Shanez Morales and senior guard Colette Salyers. Morales notched a double-double of her own, as she scored a team-high 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, to go along with her two steals on defense, and highly efficient 8-13 shooting from the field in her stellar 27 minutes on the court. Last but certainly not least, Salyers put up a nice all-around performance with her 12 points, eight assists, six boards, and two steals in her 29 minutes of action.

Now head coach Tom McIntyre and his Penn State Scranton Lady Lions basketball squad will look to capture their first win of the season when they next play a home conference battle against rival Penn State Lehigh Valley this Saturday afternoon, with tip-off scheduled for 1pm. At 10:30am, the Penn State Scranton Lady Lions will have a special Alumni basketball game for the hometown fans to enjoy as well. Meanwhile, head coach Mary Miller and her Penn State Mont Alto ball club, who with their win over Scranton snapped a seven game losing skid and improved their overall record to 2-9 and 2-8 in the crucial league play, will look to continue their victorious ways when they travel on the road to take on conference foe Penn State Shenango this Saturday at 2pm.