State College, Pa., Jan. 29, 2003 -- The State College Lady Little Lions improved their record to 17-1 and completed their sweep of Altoona, defeating the visiting Lady Lions 57-46.

Balanced scoring in double digits from all five State College starters and a strong, third-quarter defense were key factors in the Lady Little Lions' victory.

Suzy Carlson led with 11 points, while Nicole Scipione, Liz Gabrielle, Katlyn Stupar and Sarah O'Shea each finished the game with 10.

Scipione scored eight of her 10 points in the first period, pushing the Lady Little Lions to a 17-12 lead at the quarter break.

Altoona trailed by just six (29-23) at the half, with Amanda Pierce scoring 13 of Altoona's 23 points in the first two periods.

State College brought Pierce's game-high 21 points to a halt during the third quarter, holding the Lady Lions to just five points from Lauren Gehret.

"Altoona has a tendency to come out at half time all fired up, coming at us, and our last couple games, our third quarter hasn't been our strongest," State College coach Bethany Irwin said. "We really did an outstanding job on that."

A pair of threes from O'Shea announced a third-period State College run, with Gabrielle and Carlson each chipping in four points. Monika Fogelsanger added a bucket at the buzzer, helping State College end the quarter with a 45-28 lead.

Pierce was back in action during the last eight minutes, scoring eight points, but State College's Carlson managed to keep a lid on Altoona force Jenna Burkett for the duration of the game.

Burkett, who led the Lady Lions with 11 points against State College Jan. 17, finished the game without scoring.

"I think Suzy Carlson was unbelievable defensively,"Irwin said. "She picked her battles, and I'm really happy for her."

With the clock ticking, the Lady Lions were forced to foul in the last period, causing Altoona's Meghan Friday to foul out with just one minute remaining. Carlson and Stupar each made two foul shots in the last minute, bringing the Lady Little Lions to their 57-46 win.

The State College J.V. team's winning streak hit 75 games with a 41-30 victory over Altoona. Jessie Serafin led in scoring with 14 points.