Season Ends With Loss for Penn College Women's Basketball Team
Published 03.07.2008
One poor half of basketball spelled the end of the season for the Pennsylvania College of Technology women's basketball team Friday night.
Facing Penn State Schuylkill in a Penn State University Athletic Conference semifinal game at the Bryce Jordan Center on Penn State's main campus, the Lady Wildcats saw their six-point halftime lead evaporate during the first 5:30 of the second half when Schuylkill went on a 14-3 run, and cruised to a 66-51 victory.
"We got complacent. We just couldn't put it together. They outhustled us. They crashed every rebound and dove on the floor for every loose ball. We played with intensity the first half, but you've got to play 40 minutes of basketball," said Alison Tagliaferri, Penn College's coach.
After three early ties and seven lead changes, Penn College took control in the first half with an 11-2 run that gave it its largest lead of the night at 28-20. During the first half for the Lady Wildcats, Amanda Ault (Milan) and Erica Logan (Montoursville) each scored 11 points and Meagan Morris (Herndon, Va.) added 10.
Penn State Schuylkill came back in the second half behind Angela Avolio (Shenandoah) and Shanita Cottman (Philadelphia), who finished with 24 and 19 points, respectively.
The early second-half burst by Schuylkill helped it regain the lead, during which time Penn College starting guard Jessica Strasser (Hawley) went to the bench with four personal fouls, but it continued to pull away despite Penn College's attempts to stop it. Penn State Schuylkill's largest lead came at 62-46 with about two minutes left.
Ault finished with 19 points for Penn College, as it finishes 18-9 overall and 12-5 in all PSUAC games. Logan and Morris were held scoreless in the second half. Penn StateSchuylkill now is 20-2 overall and 16-1 in the conference).
Reflecting on her first season as coach, Tagliaferri said, "It definitely was a good year for us. I didn't know what to expect, but I had a lot of great girls to work with.
"My four seniors Ault, Sarah Leach (Titusville), Beth Snoddy (Allenwood) and Strasser are going to be irreplaceable next year both on and off the court with their leadership and attitude. I couldn't have asked for a better year from the girls, really. I just wish it had been a different outcome."