Lewistown Pa., Jan. 7, 2003 --
Two free throws by State College senior Suzy Carlson with 16 seconds left on the clock were just enough to give the eighth-ranked Lady Little Lions a 64-61 win over Indian Valley in Lewistown.
The Lions' 11-point lead at halftime dwindled to one point twice in the final period as Indian Valley made its strongest push to either tie the game or take its first lead in the contest.
With 4:05 to play, Lady Warrior Jen Quay sank a long three to make it 59-58.
State College junior Sarah O'Shea answered with her fourth 3-pointer of the night to give the Lions a 62-58 advantage with 3:49 remaining.
Quay hit another three at 3:12 to again bring Indian Valley within one point at 62-61.
State College decided to run out the clock putting the ball in the hands of Carlson. Indian Valley drew its sixth team foul at 2:29 but did not commit its seventh foul until 16 seconds remained. The seventh foul put State College into the bonus and Carlson hit the vital free throws.
The Lady Warriors had one more chance to at least force overtime but a last second three came up short.
Ironically, junior Megan Hartman, who had scored 27 points over the first three quarters, was held scoreless in the final period and was forced to try the desparation three as time ran out.
"We've lost the last two games here so we knew it was going to be tough," State College coach Bethany Irwin said.
"We didn't play defense well at all in the second quarter," Irwin said. "That really hurt us."
Indian Valley bounced back from a seven-point first quarter deficit to score 27 points in the second. Hartman had a hand in scoring 10 of those points and added 15 more in the third quarter.
Foul trouble plagued the Lions as starters Liz Gabrielle and Katlyn Stupar found themselves in foul trouble early and were used sparingly down the stretch.
State College's bench was a factor in the second quarter providing 10 of the team's 21 points. Jessie Serafin (5 points), Carly Onkotz (3 points) and Monika Fogelsanger (2 points) were productive reserves when the Lions needed offensive help.
The third quarter was a scoring bonanza with Hartman scoring nine points from buckets combined with a free throw. State College's starters Nicole Scipione (6 points) and Carlson (5 points) plus O'Shea and Stupar countered most of Indian Valley's fast-paced offense but a pair of threes by Quay inched the Warriors to within five-points of the Lions (55-50) as the quarter ended.
The end of the third quarter had the run and gun quality Indian Valley favored until Irwin changed her team's defense. "We played a 1-3-1," Irwin said. "We have never played a 1-3-1 but we just had to change something because they were just hurting us."
As the game pace slowed to a crawl in the fourth quarter, State College gained control, particularly in the game's final six minutes when the Lions and Warriors combined for just 13 points.
"This game is certainly going to help us," Irwin said. "This is a big one confidence-wise."
Scipione was the high scorer against Indian Valley with 16 points followed by Carlson with 15 points and O'Shea with 14 points. State College improved to 8-1 and is home Friday night with Huntingdon then on the road Saturday for a makeup game with Pottsville.
Hartman had a career night finishing with 27 points followed by Quay with 19 points. Indian Valley fell to 8-3 losing its last two games by a combined six points. The Lady Warriors are at Altoona Thursday.