Box Score Cazenovia, N.Y. - The Penn State Abington women's basketball squad got their first-ever NEAC conference win against Cazenovia College earlier this afternoon, defeating Wildcats by a score of 74-64. Sophomore Jessica Schmidt led the Nittany Lions, putting together a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Both sides shot quite poorly from the field in the first half, making it a low-scoring affair early. The Wildcats actually led the affair for much of the first half, at times jumping ahead by as many as seven points. The Nittany Lions (7-5, 5-0 NEAC) came roaring back late in the frame, however. A layup from freshman Teharah Worrell at the 6:28 mark gave Penn State their first lead since early in the half at 15-14. Senior Trish Watson drained a three-point bucket to follow that up, helping the Nittany Lions put up a 27-4 run to close the half and take a 34-18 lead into the locker room.
 
The second half began with more of the same from the Nittany Lions. Although the Wildcats were able to keep Penn State Abington from pulling away any further, the Blue and White made the right amount of plays to keep the margin of lead hovering right around the 20-point mark. By the 12-minute mark, Cazenovia was finally able to chip their deficit down to 13 points. However, a quick timeout from head coach Annette Reiter and a run of key baskets and free throws from Schmidt and Watson once again stemmed any further momentum from the Wildcats.
 
With two minutes remaining in the game, the margin was still ten points, at 65-55. Cazenovia (2-11, 2-3 NEAC) made one last push to stay in the game, with a jumper from freshman Alyssa Connor cutting the Nittany Lions' lead to just five. Nonetheless, Penn State Abington used a pressure layup from junior Jaclyn Vandiver and a strong presence from the free-throw line to close out the game and earn the program's first victory against their NEAC foes from up north.
 
Schmidt had a fantastic afternoon, putting up 21 points and pulling down ten rebounds. The 5-11 forward from Elkins Park put in a yeoman's effort for the Blue and White, playing the entire 40 minutes. Watson, the lone senior for the Nittany Lions, led all scorers with 25 total points on the day. Vandiver also had a strong day on the glass, grabbing ten rebounds of her own while chipping in with 9 more points. For the Wildcats, it was sophomore Erin O'Malley who led the way, scoring 19 points in the game.
 
The win means the Nittany Lions keep their NEAC record unblemished at 5-0. Penn State Abington is now the sole remaining undefeated team in the NEAC, and leads the NEAC South Division by half a game over Lancaster Bible, who sit at 5-1. The Nittany Lions have an immediate chance to extend their lead over their conference foes when they hit the hardcourt again tomorrow afternoon. The Blue and White will take on fellow New York foe SUNYIT, who sit with a 3-1 record so far in conference play. Gametime is set for 12:00 pm, with all your postgame coverage right here at abingtonsports.com.