NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The Westminster College women's basketball team lost, 57-55, to Penn State Behrend in non-conference action at home Wednesday evening.
The Lions erased a nine-point Titan lead with under seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, including the eventual game-winning shot with 14 seconds left.
The first quarter was back-and-forth as there were five ties, with the last one at 16-16 with 1:17 left. The score remained the same at the end of one. Westminster (6-11) never trailed in the second quarter and led by as much as eight points twice, with the latest coming at 32-24 when sophomore
Alazia Greaves (West Sunbury, PA / Moniteau) made a layup with 2:45 remaining. Penn State Behrend (6-10) ended the first half with a 7-2 run and the Titans led 34-31 at intermission.
The Titans were ahead the entire third quarter and led by as much as seven points (40-33) when junior
Emily Fromknecht (Erie, PA / McDowell) made a jumper with 5:04 left. The Lions pulled within three points of the Titans' lead (43-40) to end the frame. Westminster took its largest lead of the game, 53-44, after junior
Kayla Bennett (Kent, OH / Theodore Roosevelt) made a layup with 6:49 on the clock. The Lions went on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 53 with just under two minutes left. Tied at 55, Penn State's Alanna Dibble rebounded a missed Lion three and found Ashley Seamon for the go-ahead layup with 14 seconds left. The Titans had three opportunities in the final seconds to tie or take the lead, but just came up short.
Bennett scored a team-high 16 points and was one rebound away from a double-double with nine boards. First-year
Magen Polczynski (Irwin, PA / Norwin) also scored in double figures for the Titans with 11 points. Junior
Emily Fromknecht (Erie, PA / McDowell) and sophomore
Alazia Greaves (West Sunbury, PA / Moniteau) added eight and seven points, respectively. Fromknecht grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds and tied a career-high with a game-high five assists. Polczynski tied a career-best with a game-high three steals, while Bennett added a block.
Penn State outshot Westminster 44.9% (22-49) to 38.2% (21-55). The Titans outrebounded the Lions, 34-27.
The Titans are back in action at Chatham University on Saturday, January 19 with a 12 p.m. start time.
