Box Score Reading, Pa. – The Penn State Abington women's basketball squad took home a valuable victory earlier Tuesday afternoon when they defeated rival Penn State Berks by a slim three-point margin in overtime. The Nittany Lions managed to shake off the loss of a late lead by responding with five points in the extra frame while holding the hosts to just a single basket. Junior guard Stephanie Keyes led all scorers with a game-high 23 points, including going 9-for-11 from the charity stripe. Sophomore guard Teharah Worrell added another 20 points, while Janay Winston added 15 and freshman Breanna Lineman pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds. For Berks, guards Amber Hess-Moore and Cassidy Schultz each poured in 15 points on the night, while Shanelle Koch and Kellie Wilson each added another ten. Berks outscored Abington 17-0 in bench points, but the visitors made their living by causing havoc amongst the Berks ball handlers. Penn State Abington turned Berks over 24 times and made 23 points off those turnovers, compared to just six points off turnovers from the hosts.
 
Penn State Berks (3-17, 3-10 NEAC) sent Abington reeling somewhat by opening the game on a 7-0 run right out of the gate. Keisha Robinson drilled a three-ball right off the opening tip, and then Schultz sank back-to-back jump shots to put the hosts ahead by seven early. Midway through the first, they had stretched that lead to eight at 15-7, but that was as high a lead as Penn State Berks would build for the rest of the night. Penn State Abington (5-13, 3-9 NEAC) made an 11-3 run at that point to tie the game back up, and it started with a solid layup inside by senior Alyssa Kaye. Keyes followed that up with a deep three ball to make it a three point game. After a Berks free throw, both sides traded jumpers before Janay Winston hit back-to-back jumpers of her own to knot the game at 18-all. For the rest of the half, the teams would only score a combined nine points, but it was Penn State Abington who took a 23-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.
 
The second frame was almost a carbon copy of the first, but this time it was Abington who ran out to their biggest lead of the game early on in the half. A quick 6-0 spurt at the 17:03 mark put the visitors ahead by a score of 31-25, and suddenly Berks found themselves chasing the game. And chase they did, as they quickly managed to make up the deficit and, when Kellie Wilson hit a three at the 11:46 mark, the game was tied back up, this time at 35. Over the last ten minutes, the teams traded buckets until the game was once again tied, this time at 51-51 with just 1:07 to play. Here, Penn State Abington reared back and threw what appeared to be a knockout blow, scoring six points in the next 42 seconds to take a commanding six point lead with just 25 ticks left to play. However, Berks had plenty of fight left in them. After the teams traded two more free throws each on their next possessions, Hess-Moore put the hosts on her back for a stunning final 16 seconds. The freshman guard stepped up and nailed a deep three pointer, and then after Abington missed two free throws, either of which would probably have closed out the game, Hess-Moore ran the length of the floor in four seconds and heaved up one more three that miraculously fell as well, tying the game at 59 points apiece and sending the contest into overtime.
 
Berks looked to carry their newfound momentum into the extra frame by scoring the first points of the period on a jumper by, once again, Hess-Moore. However, Penn State Abington managed to buckle down, put the dread of the lost lead behind them, and close out the contest with authority. Winston tied the game back up with a jump shot with 3:06 left to play, and then the Nittany Lions made three out of four free throws inside the final minute, all while keeping Berks off the scoreboard, to come away with the quality 64-61 overtime win.
 
With the win, the Nittany Lions move their record to 5-13 overall on the season and 3-9 in the NEAC conference. The 23 and 20 points from Keyes and Worrell, respectively, tie career highs for each, and they and the team will look to build upon their solid performance this evening when they face their next opponent, Wilson College, on Thursday night. The game is a make-up of the contest that was originally scheduled for earlier in February, but postponed due to one of the many snowstorms the region has been hit with in recent weeks. Abington will look to showcase their improved form against the Phoenix, who they beat earlier this season at home by a score of 61-36. Game time is set for 6:00 p.m. this Thursday on the campus of Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pa.