Mill Hall, Pa., Jan. 14, 2003 --

State College and Central Mountain, the two highest-scoring teams in the Mountain High League, staged a defensive showdown that ended with the Lady Little Lions running out the clock for a 47-39 victory.

State College recovered from a 10-point deficit (21-11) with 3:40 left in the second quarter thanks to a nine-point run that dropped Central Mountain to a 23-20 edge at halftime.

Monika Fogelsanger, subbing for eventual high scorer Nicole Scipione, started the run by collecting an offense rebound and sticking a put back. Sarah O'Shea then hit a three and Suzy Carlson made two free throws. State College's only other sub in the game Carly Onkotz buried a deuce from the corner before Central Mountain's Ashley Brandt got a bucket eight seconds before intermission. Brandt's basket gave the Wildcats their first points over a 3:32 span.

At halftime, State College coach Bethany Irwin asked her team for more rebounds. "We didn't rebound well at all -- post, guards -- we were giving them five or six shots," Irwin said.

Irwin said that her Lions' first halft effort was directed at shutting down Central Mountain high scorer Lindsey Hollobaugh who averages 27 points a game. "We were playing such great team defense on her that we let the others kill us," she said.

Irwin had to sit Scipione for the last 1:28 of the first quarter and all of the second quarter but brought her senior scoring leader back after intermission.

"I made an adjustment," she said. "I needed Nicole for rebounds. If she was on Hollobaugh, there was no way she could rebound." Carlson then took over the job of guarding Hollobaugh.

Scipione responded by scoring 13 of her game-high 15 points over the next 16 minutes. State College outscored the Wildcats 9-5 in the opening minutes of the second half with Carlson scooping in an underhander followed by an O'Shea spin move along the baseline, a Scipione bucket from a Carlson feed and another three from O'Shea. Scipione scored State's next seven points to give the Lions a 36-33 lead as the third quarter ended.

Scipione drove in for her ninth straight point off a feed from Onkotz to stretch the lead to 38-33. A few seconds later Hollobaugh scored her last two points.

Central Mountain went almost five minutes without another basket while State College built the advantage to 43-35 thanks to a Carlson two assisted by Liz Gabrielle and another three from Onkotz.

The Wildcats got two baskets from Julie Dwyer but found themselves chasing State College players to boost their foul total. They had committed only three team fouls with 2:03 to play and finally put State College into the bonus with 58.1 to go.

That's when Carlson hit two free throws and O'Shea collected a key rebound off an errant shot to allow her team to control the final seconds.

State College used just seven players with Scipione's 15 points supported by 11 from Carlson (she made seven of eight from the line) and eight from O'Shea. Katlyn Stupar had six rebounds and backup Monika Fogelsanger blocked two shots and helped change Central Mountain's momentum by taking a charge. Liz Gabrielle played relentless defense recording two steals and one block. Onkotz scored five timely points and helped Carlson and Gabrielle run the offense.

Central Mountain lost for the first time since Nov. 30 breaking a string of 10 victories. The Wildcats Holobaugh was closest to a double-figure game with nine points followed by Ashley Brandt with eight.

State College finishes the first cycle of league action Friday at Altoona.