Box Score Abington, Pa. – The Penn State Abington women's basketball team fell in valiant fashion earlier this afternoon to the visiting Knights of Arcadia University. Though the Knights came out with the 69-65 victory, the Nittany Lions held on until the very last moments, withstanding numerous Arcadia runs to close the final margin to a mere four points. Sophomore Jessica Schmidt led the Blue and White with 17 points on the afternoon.
 
The game started out as a very tight-knit affair, with neither team being able to gain any significant advantage over the other in the opening minutes. A jumper in the paint from Maureen Fiocca put Arcadia ahead 11-5 at the 13:41 mark of the first half, the largest lead of the game to that point. Penn State Abington came right back, going on a 9-2 run to take the lead for themselves at the 9:50 mark. The Nittany Lions were able to extend the margin to six points off of a free throw from Senior Trish Watson, giving Penn State Abington a 26-20 advantage.
 
The next three minutes were the turning point in the game, however. Arcadia University went on a ridiculous 19-0 run, in which the Knights went seven for seven from the floor, including 3-pointers on their final five possessions. Abington was able to staunch the bleeding and go on a run of their own to close the half. However, the damage had already been done, and as the teams hit the locker room, Arcadia held a 39-32 lead.
 
The break was just what the team needed, for in the opening minutes of the second half, the Nittany Lions were able to retake the lead on a combination of solid shooting and forcing Arcadia turnovers. Trish Watson was able to convert an and-1 play to open the scoring for Abington. Then it was a pair of Teharah Worrell free throws, a fastbreak layup from Worrell, a three-pointer from Jaclyn Vandiver, and another layup from Worrell. When all was said and done, the Nittany Lions had put together their own 18-0 run to retake the lead 44-39.
 
From this point on, the game turned into a battle of wills. The Knights chipped away at the lead, doing just enough to steadily close down the Penn State Abington advantage. Finally, with 8:39 left to play in the game, a layup from Valerie DiMuro put Arcadia up by a score of 54-53, and it was a lead that the Knights would hold onto for the rest of the game.
 
With just over four minutes left to play, the margin had swelled to seven points. An and-1 conversion from Jaclyn Vandiver and a layup from Janay Winston closed the lead down to two points, but Arcadia was once again able to stretch it out to six with only two minutes left to play. Penn State Abington pressed one more time to retake the advantage, but in the end, there simply was not enough time. The Nittany Lions could not get good shots late in the game, and the Knights held on for the 69-65 victory.
 
Penn State Abington benefited from a well-balanced attack during the game. Jessica Schmidt had a strong afternoon, tallying a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Trish Watson and Teharah Worrell added 14 points apiece, Janay Winston chipped in another 10 points, and Jaclyn Vandiver added another 9. For the Knights, it was Samantha Caliguri who led the way, netting 18 points. Dominique Hassinger was the key ball-handler for Arcadia, dishing out nine assists on the afternoon.
 
The Nittany Lions now have a long break for the holidays to rest and rejuvenate before the battle that is NEAC regular season play begins. The women's next game will not be until January 5^th, when the Nittany Lions take on SUNY Cobleskill here at home. Game time is set for 2 p.m. Be sure to keep checking in at abingtonsports.com for all your Nittany Lions athletic updates!