READING, Pa. — The Keuka College Women's Basketball team overcame a hot start by the host Nittany Lions and rallied to beat Penn St.-Berks 72-65 in a North Eastern Athletic Conference game on Saturday afternoon.
Seniors Lauren Anten (Rochester, N.Y. / Hilton) and Jariah Johnson (New York, N.Y. / Frederick Douglas Academy) each scored 19 points to help guide Keuka College (9-3, 4-0 NEAC) to victory. Johnson added a game-high 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Guard Sam Laranjo (Averill Park, N.Y. / Averill Park) was also in double-figures with 15 points and added five assists for the Wolves.
Keuka College 72 at Penn St.-Berks 65
The Nittany Lions got out to a fast start as they hit their first three three-point shots while going a perfect 5-5 from the floor to build an early advantage. The hosts led 21-13 after the first quarter.
Penn St.-Berks led by seven midway through the second quarter, but the Wolves went on a run. Keuka College scored 11 of the final 13 points of the half, capped by a Lauren Anten three to give the Wolves a 32-30 halftime lead.
The Green and Gold would push their lead to five, but Berks cut into the deficit and tied the game at 40-40. Riley Record (Palmyra, N.Y. / Palmyra-Macedon) had the answer for Keuka with a three-pointer. The Wolves increased their lead to as many as eight in the quarter and took a 53-48 advantage into the final quarter.
Seven straight points for Penn St.-Berks in the fourth quarter made it a one-point game, 62-61 with four minutes left to play. Freshman Anna Hoover (Cape Vincent, N.Y. / Thousand Islands) had a big possession for the Wolves as she grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds before eventually laying it in herself to make it 64-61. The lead would later by cut to one but Lauren Anten hit two more three and the Wolves would continue onto the 72-65 road conference victory.
KC Notes:
- The Green and Gold improve to 6-3 all-time in at Penn St.-Berks and lead the overall series 17-3
- It was Keuka's fourth straight win over the Nittany Lions
- Lauren Anten set a new career-high with five three-pointers made in the game
- Anten's 19 total points moves her career total to 1,066, passing Katie Stuart for eighth on the Keuka College career scoring list
- In just her eighth game of the season, Jariah Johnson already broke her career-highs for points and rebounds in a season
- Sam Laranjo surpassed 500 points in her career on Saturday against the Nittany Lions
- Sarah Tyler (Newark, N.Y. / Newark) helped pace a defensive effort that posted a season-high 17 steals. The senior forward led Keuka College with five steals in the game
Up Next for Keuka College: The Wolves will conclude their southern trip with a noon game on Sunday at Penn College. The Wolves have won the last four meetings with the Wildcats and are 4-1 all-time against Penn College.