Lions Lose Opener
Harrisburg, Pa. Dec. 2, 2005 -- State College lost its opening game 50-40 to host Central Dauphin in the Tip-Off Tournament. The Lions play University City, an 81-54 loser to Downingtown East, for third place Saturday at 1 p.m. Freshman Chrissy Cooper came off the bench to score a team-leading 11 points with senior Mandy Clouse adding nine points. Central Dauphin led 12-11 after the first quarter and 25-21 at halftime. The third quarter belonged to CD who outscored State 14-7. The Lions held a 12-11 advantage in the final period. "We did make a lot of errors," coach Bethany Irwin said. "We rushed shots and didn't take enough shots." Tanya Power led Central Dauphin with 17 points.

Cooper Leading Scorer Again
As Lions Lose To University City
Harrisburg, Pa. Dec. 3, 2005 -- State College paid the price for a 2-point third quarter and lost the third place game in the Central Dauphin Tip-Off Tournament 58-48 to University City. The Lady Little Lions led 16-7 in the first period and 28-24 at the half. The third period belonged to University City who outscored the Lady Little Lions 14-2. Freshman Chrissy Cooper, who led State's scorers with 11 points Friday against Central Dauphin, again took scoring honors in the consolation game contributing 14 points, 12 of them in the fourth quarter. Amanda Hart chipped in 10 points, all in the first half. Next up for State College is a game Wednesday at Indiana and another road match Friday at Bishop Hoban. The Lions are home next Saturday with Shaler.

Two Points Separate State From 1st Win
Indiana, Pa. Dec. 7, 2005 -- State College had three double-figure scorers for the first time this season but could not gain its first victory in a 60-58 loss at Indiana. Emily Suhey led her team with 16 points and Mandy Clouse and Ali Mock each contributed 15 points in the loss. Rachel Hurley led Indiana and took game-scoring honors with 23 points. "We had our chances," coach Bethany Irwin said. State trailed 20-17 in the first quarter but rallied to lead 34-33 at intermission. A nine-point output in the third period had the Lions trailing 47-43. Chrissy Cooper's three started the fourth quarter rally followed by a pair of free throws by Suhey and a 3-point play by Clouse but Indiana nailed its free throws to preserve the win. The Lions fall to 0-3 and Indiana improves to 2-1. State is on the road for its fourth straight game Friday travelling to Bishop Hoban. State is home Saturday with Shaler. The State College JV opened with a 44-37 victory. Danielle Spearly led the JV with 17 points.

Lions Rally But Fall Short
State College, Pa. Dec. 10, 2005 -- State College rallied from a 21-point deficit to challenge undefeated Shaler before losing to the Titans 56-50 in the team's first home game of the season. The Lady Little Lions fell to 0-4 but showed some mettle in the loss. "They fought hard, fought hard," coach Bethany Irwin said. "We want to win but I was pleased with their effort." State was outscored 35-17 in the first half and trailed 45-26 at the end of the third quarter. Shaler, improving to 4-0, built a commanding lead in the first two periods playing a flawless second quarter. "They shot 100 percent that quarter. What can you do," Irwin said. The fourth period could be a precursor to State's emergence. The Lions outscored the Titans 26-11 capitalizing on several productive defensive stands and balanced scoring from sophomores Kelsey Guth and Emily Suhey who each scored six points, and freshman Chrissy Cooper and sophomore Tara Branigan each with five points and senior Mandy Clouse who scored four points. "I hate to say that we're young but we are," Irwin said. "I want us to win," she said of her 0-4 team. Shaler's Melissa McQuaid earned game scoring honors with 20 points with 16 coming in the first half. Jill DiNucci scored 14 points. State's scoring leaders were Suhey with 16 points and Kelsey Guth with 10 points. The Lions have a makeup game at Bishop Hoban Tuesday then are home Wednesday with Red Lion. Both games tip at 7:30 p.m. State's JV ran its record to 2-0 with a 43-34 victory over Shaler's JV Branigan scored 14 points and Souyma Belegundu added 13 points.

Lions Get 1st Win At Bishop Hoban
State College, Pa. Dec. 13, 2005 -- Alli Mock's 20 points helped lead State College to a 54-36 win at Bishop Hoban. Six 3-point field goals were part of Mock's scoring total as the Lady Little Lions posted their first win of the season (1-4). Roaring out of the gate offensively, the Lions were ahead 29-12 by halftime but it was their defensive effort that impressed coach Bethany Irwin. "Defensively, we did an outstanding job, particularly in the first half," she said. "They were communicating and enthusiastic. I was really pleased." Emily Suhey backed up Mock with 15 points. State's JV struggled mightily to put points on the board before pulling out a 21-17 win. The JV trailed 7-2 after two quarters but found its momentum late in the contest. Chrissy Cooper's team- leading eight points included six in the fourth period. Both squads are back in action at home Wednesday night with Red Lion.

Lions Defeat No. 8 Red Lion 55-50
State College, Pa. Dec. 14, 2005-- Seniors Mandy Clouse and Alli Mock were perfect at the free throw line over the last 33 seconds sealing State College's 55-50 win over visting and 8th-ranked Red Lion. Trailing 19-6 after the first quarter, State took advantage of a five-point play in the second period and narrowed the gap to 28-23 by halftime. The play began with a basket and free throw by Kelsey Guth. A technical was called on a Red Lion player for slamming the ball to the court following Guth's basket and free throw and Tara Branigan made two more free throws. State's momentum carried over into the third quarter as Mock sank a three and Clouse made two free throws to tie the score at 28. Red Lion regained the lead and stretched it to 39-31 before their leading scorer, Penn State recruit Meggan Quinn, picked up her fourth foul. State got a 3-pointer and two free throws from Branigan and a bucket from Clouse before the third period ended with Red Lion clinging to a 42-40 lead. Clouse tied the score at 42 then teammate Emily Suhey scored to give State its first lead of the game. Red Lion got as close as 49-47 on two free throws from Marley Klunk with 36 seconds left but Mock (4-4) and Clouse (2-2) preserved the win in the final seconds. "I'm so excited for this group of girls," State College coach Bethany Irwin said. "We were down in numbers with Chrissy Cooper going down in the jv game and Amanda Hart out with a bloody nose." Clouse led State's scoring with 15 points, Suhey had 11 points and Mock had 10 points. Red Lion's scoring leader was Marley Klunk with 17 points. Quinn scored 14 points before fouling out three minutes before the end of the game. State College travels to fifth- ranked Cheltenham Saturday.

State Upsets No. 10 Hazleton
State College, Pa. Dec. 22, 2005-- For the second time in its last three games, State College has upset a top 10 team. Visiting Hazleton, 10th in the Harrisburg Patriot-News preseason poll, took it on the chin 41-40 just as No. 8 Red Lion had a week ago. Sophomore Kelsey Guth scored four of her six points in the final two minutes to lift the Lady Little Lions from a 40-39 deficit to the one-point victory. "I had told Kelsey that she was a great rebounder and that now I wanted her to shoot," State College coach Bethany Irwin said. Guth and sophomore Emily Suhey were the only scorers for State in the highly-contested fourth quarter. The Lady Cougars led 14-6 after the first period and 26-16 at halftime. The advantage dropped to 36-33 at the end of the third quarter thanks to a 3-pointer by senior Mandy Clouse and two more from senior Alli Mock. Suhey scored twice to begin the fourth quarter matching a pair of free throws and a deuce from the Lady Cougars. That's when Guth made the key baskets, the first at the 2:15 mark and the clincher with 1:13 remaining. The game was a tag team match over the last minute as Hazleton struggled, with only five team fouls, to send the Lions to the foul line. The Lady Cougars finally did put Mock on the free throw line with a one and one with 20 seconds left. Hazleton gained possession on the miss and the Cougars put the ball in the hands of their leading scorer senior Rachel Wisemiller (18 points) but her shot missed and the carom was deflected by Guth into an area where Mock and others fought for possession as time ran out. Suhey was the high scorer for State with 17 points followed by Clouse with 10. State is the host and defending champion at the Kiwanis Holiday Tournament with an opening round game next Wednesday against Latrobe at 6 p.m. Perry Traditional Academy and Bisohp Carroll play in the earlier game at 3 p.m. The State College JV lost to Hazleton 58-39.

Kiwanis Holiday Classic -- First Day Recaps
State College, Pa. Dec. 28, 2005-- State College, winner of three of the last four Kiwanis Holiday Basketball Classics, put itself in position to win another title by advancing to the tourney finals tomorrow with a 62-44 victory over Latrobe in the opening round. Perry Traditional Academy (10-1) will be the opponent. The Commodores defeated Bishop Carroll 53-40. The championship game is at 5:30 p.m. The consolation game begins at 2:30 p.m. Coach Bethany Irwin's Lady Little Lions (4-5) had their highest scoring game of the season converting 21 of 38 attempts from the field. Senior Alli Mock's 19 points were game high with sophomore Emily Suhey scoring 18 points and senior Mandy Clouse pumping in 16. Latrobe's Courtney Sherwin, Emily Fenton and Lindsey Muchnock each scored 12 points for the Wildcats. State jumped out to a 14-2 advantage in the opening minutes but Latrobe scored the last eight points in the first quarter to trail 14-10. The Lions countered with 10 straight points (six from back-to-back treys from Mock) to open the second period and enjoyed a 31-16 advantage by halftime. Latrobe narrowed the gap to 31-27 with an 11-point run in the first three minutes of the third quarter but State then outscored the Wildcats 12-4 to build a 43-31 advantge at the end of three periods. The deciding dozen were helped by two more threes from Mock and a three-point play from sophomore Kelsey Guth. The outcome was never in doubt after that run as Suhey added three buckets and State was five for five from the free throw line thanks to Clouse, Mock and Amanda Hart. Perry had a huge game from freshman Jamie Reed with 25 points in its win over Bishop Carroll. Commodore senior Barooque Williams added 18 points. Bishop Carroll's Jess Miller had 13 points to lead the Lady Huskies.

State College Wins Kiwanis Championship
State College, Pa. Dec. 29, 2005-- It must take a lot of confidence for a coach to sit through three come-from-behind victories. That's what State College coach Bethany Irwin has endured recently with the latest comeback unfolding as her 5-5 Lady Little Lions upset Pittsburgh City League leader Perry Traditional Academy 63-59 in the championship game of the Kiwanis Holiday Basketball Classic held in State College. Starting the year at 0-4, State has improved to 5-5 with wins over top 10 ranked Red Lion and Hazleton and a Perry team that came into the championship game with a 10-1 record. "I can coach x's and o's but they've got to play with heart," Irwin said. "We're living and dying every game." Irwin was on the dying end of her team's chances when her Lady Little Lions were outscored 21-9 in the second quarter of the Kiwanis final after building a 17-10 lead in the opening stanza. It took a big effort for State to crawl back into the game in the third quarter when the Lions trailed 44-40. All-tourney selection Alli Mock began the fourth period with a three, her fifth of the game. Perry's Jamie Reed, a promising 9th grader, scored and then Irwin was whistled for a technical foul sending all-tourney selection Barooque Williams to the line. Williams made one of two and then Reed converted both ends of a one plus one to give Perry a 49-43 advantage at the 7:10 mark. The two teams traded baskets until State's other all-tourney selection, senior Mandy Clouse, nailed her third three of the game tying the score at 55 with 4:40 remaining. Clouse hit a two which Reed matched knotting the score at 57 with 3:09 left. State sub Amanda Hart, brought into the game due to foul trouble to starter Kelsey Guth, nailed a three giving State a 60-57 advantage with 2:26 to play. The game outcome then fell to seniors Clouse and Mock. Clouse made both ends of a one plus one with 19.5 seconds left extending the lead to 62-57 and Mock coverted the first of two from the charity stripe topping the single bucket from Williams to provide the 63-59 win. State earned its 9th Holiday Classic title in 17 appearances. The Lady Little Lions upped their season single game scoring record by one point and earned the Kiwanis Classic trophy by sinking 10 three-point field goals, countering the Commodores 15 of 23 free throw attempts. State made five of six free throws, four coming in the game's last 19 seconds. Mock led all scorers with 20 points. Reed and Williams each had 18 for Perry. The All-Tourney selections were Kayla Ertter of Bishop Carroll, Courtney Sherwin of Latrobe, Williams and Reed of Perry and Clouse and Mock of State College. Latrobe defeated Bishop Carroll 55-34 in the consolation game.

Junior Sarah Layton
was named the MVP for State College at the Kiwanis Holiday Classic. With a grade point average of 4.7, she is in the top 10 percent of her class and volunteers with the Salvation Army. She's also a youth mentor and a Big Sister for a third grader. She recently completed a mission trip to Estonia where she helped place a roof on a church, painted and took part in vacation Bible Schol. "Sarah is a very hard worker and enjoys the game of basketball," coach Bethany Irwin said. "She attacks situations in a positive manner and is a strong person because of this quality."

Lions Lose To Harrisburg
State College, Pa. Jan. 4, 2006-- State College rallied from a huge deficit to threaten undefeated Harrisburg but the Lady Cougar guards made nine stright free throws in the last 1:41 to win 55-45. Harrisburg improved to 9-0 and State College is now 5-6 with its first league game coming up Saturday at Central Mountain. The Lions were outscored 14-7 in the first quarter and trailed 31-18 at halftime. Harrisburg's Crissa Jackson hit a three as the third period began giving the Lady Cougars a 34-18 advantage. State senior Alli Mock nailed a three followed by another trey from Mandy Clouse and another 3-pointer from Mock to narrow Harrisburg's lead to seven points (34-27). Lion sophomore center Emily Suhey followed a deuce with a trey and the Lions were only down by four (36-32) completing a 14-point run. Harrisburg's Shaka Ritter ended the run but Mock came back with her third three. Lady Cougar Ryan Lewis got another basket and the period ended with the Harrisburg lead down to five points at 40-35. State opened the final period with another run, this one giving the Lions their first lead of the game (41-40). A pair of buckets by Suhey and another from Clouse fueled the comeback. Hall, Jackson and Ritter answered for Harrisburg giving the Cougars a 46-41 lead. Suhey hit one more bucket with 3:11 left narrowing the gap to 46-43. The Lions did not score for the next three minutes and Harrisburg's Hall, Ritter and Jackson combined to make nine of 10 free throws. "At halftime, we just wanted to come out and hit our shots," State College coach Bethany Irwin said. "I'm proud of the way we came back." Suhey took game scoring honors with 23 points. Harrisburg's Jackson scored 16, Ritter 14 and Hall 13 points for the Lady Cougars who were 12 of 15 from the charity stripe. State's JV lost to Harrisburg 42-31 with Rebecca Koons and Sarah Layton each scoring 11 points.

Lions Win District 6 Opener
State College, Pa. Jan. 7, 2006-- State College defeated Central Mountain 51-36 to win its opening game on the road in District 6. The Lady Little Lions improved to 6-6 and Central Mountain fell to 5-5. State was led by sophomore Emily Suhey with 18 points and senior Alli Mock with 16 points. The Lions led 13-7 in the first period and 24-15 at halftime. "Defensively, I couldn't ask for a better game," coach Bethany Irwin said. The lead grew to 48-22 in the third quarter. State's JV also won 37-22 with Sarah Layton scoring a team-leading 14 points. The Lions have a week's break before hosting Greensburg Central Catholic next Saturday. A District 6 game with Altoona follows on Jan. 18, also at home.

Lions Prominent In County Stats
State College, Pa. Jan. 10, 2006-- Seniors Mandy Clouse and Alli Mock are county leaders in free throw shooting and 3-pointers made, respectively, according to statistics compiled by Gordon Brunskill of the "Centre Daily Times." Clouse has made 29 of 36 attempts from the charity stripe for a county-leading percentage of .806. Mock is No. 2 making 18 of 23 for a .783 percentage. The two seniors connected on critical free throws in State College's upset of then 8th-ranked Red Lion on Dec. 14 and Pittsburgh City Leader Perry Traditional Academy in the championship game of the Kiwanis Holiday Classic on Dec. 29. Mock is the county leader in 3-pointers with 37 and Clouse is No. 3 with 11. Senior Amanda Hart also is on the 3-point list tied at No. 6 with seven. Sophomore Emily Suhey is the county's fourth leading scorer netting 163 points for a 16.3 points per game average. Mock is No. 6 averaging 11.8 ppg and Clouse is No. 8 at 10.3 ppg. State College is the leading free throw shooting team in the county making 111 of 162 for a .685 percentage. Former Lady Little Lion Suzy Carlson, State's single season leader in free throw percentage under coach Bethany Irwin, is the national leader in Division II from the charity stripe. Carlson, a 5-10 junior guard at Rose-Hulman, had made 54 of 54 through Jan. 1. Carlson is No. 6 in 3-point shooting percentage nationally at 55.8.

State Loses To Greensburg Central Catholic
State College, Pa. Jan. 14, 2006-- State College lost a heartbreaker to visiting Greensburg Central Catholic 52-48. The 6-7 Lady Little Lions led 48-47 with 1:51 to play after a pair of free throws by Emily Suhey gave State what proved to be its last lead. Both teams gave up possession on turnovers before Grennsburg Central Catholic's Kayla Marghella got a bucket with 36 seconds remaining. Another State turnover led to Ashley Henderson making the first of two free throws with 19.7 remaining and the Lady Centurions leading 50-48. State gained possession and set up a 3-point try by Alli Mock. When Mock's trey missed, Greensburg CC got the rebound but a turnover with three seconds left gave the Lady Little Lions one more chance. Kelsey Guth's pass was intercepted and the Lady Centurions had their 14th straight win with Lauren Donahoe making both ends of a one plus one to extend the winning margin. "The bottom line is the errors we made are all correctable," State College coach Bethany Irwin said. "We turned it over too many times. We played well but not well enough," she said. Senior Mandy Clouse led State College with 17 points and Mock had 12 points, all in the first half. Emily Suhey chipped in 10 points. Henderson's game-high 18 points included 10 straight to keep her team in the game in the fourth quarter. State's JV lost 35-32. Sarah Layton was the team's high scorer with 10 points.

State Loses to Altoona 51-39
State College, Pa. Jan. 18, 2006-- State College lost its first league game when visiting Altoona defeated the Little Lady Lions 51-39. State is now 1-1 in the Mountain High League and Altoona improves to 3-0, 11-4 overall. The two teams will meet again on Feb. 16. The Lions fell behind 18-2 by the 3:12 mark of the first quarter and trailed 21-7 at the end of the opening period. The Altoona run included a pair of 3-pointers from Samantha Reimer and one trey from Ashley Stevens. Back-to-back buckets from Morgan Hershey led to a deuce and free throw from Reimer before State College's Alli Mock nailed a three. State actually held a slight edge outscoring Altoona 34-30 over the next three quarters but could not overcome Altoona's big first quarter. "We've climbed out of deeper holes," State College coach Bethany Irwin said, "but I'm disappointed with the way we started the game." One bright spot for the Lady Little Lions was the play of sophomore Kelsey Guth who hustled for five points at the end of the third quarter and added three more in the final period. State's high scorer was Emily Suhey with 11 points and Guth and Mandy Clouse each scored 10. Guth's 10 points were a career high. Altoona's Samantha Reimer led all scorers with 20 points and Hershey finished with 10 points. State, now 6-8, is on the road this weekend with a game Friday night at Reading followed by an afternoon contest at North Allegheny. State's JV lost to Altoona 46-30. Sarah Layton scored 17 points.

State Loses at Reading

Reading, Pa. Jan. 20, 2006-- State College lost the first of two road games at Reading Friday night bowing 71-56. "The 32-minute game lasted over two hours," State College coach Bethany Irwin said. A foul-plagued contest included 74 attempts from the free throw line, 27 by State and 47 by Reading. The Lions were outscored 20-10 in the first period but narrowed the gap to 33-25 by halftime. Reading's lead increased to 50-36 in the third period. Reading's Ashley Giddons led all scorers with 30 points. Emily Suhey's 17 points were high for the Lady Little Lions with Mandy CLouse adding 11 points and Tara Branigan scoring 10 points. State's JV won a tight contest 40-38 in overtime thanks to a 3-pointer near the buzzer by Danielle Spearly. State remains on the road tomorrow with an afternoon game at North Schuylkill.

Two Points Separate State From Win
Ashland, Pa. Jan. 21, 2006-- Playing catch up again, State College almost won a game that was tight at the end. The Lady Little Lions lost 45-43 at North Schuylkill. Falling behind 15-9 in the opening eight minutes, the Lions closed a little ground before halftime trailing 19-15. The deficit was 10 points at the end of three periods. Mandy Clouse, Emily Suhey and Sarah Layton each scored five points to pull the Lions back into contention. Clouse's bucket at the 52-second mark put State ahead by one point. WIth 18 seconds to go, North Schuylkill was on the free throw line making the second of two to tie the score. State's possession ended when Suhey was called for a foul and North Schuylkill made both free throws. The Lions came through a full court press and set up Alli Mock for a winning 3-pointer but the shot was rushed and missed the mark. Clouse led all scorers with 15 points followed by Suhey with 10. State dropped to 6-10 and will try to end a four-game losing streak at home Wednesday when Central Mountain visits. The JV Lions had one of their better efforts at North Schuylkill winning 46-36. Sarah Layton led the way with 13 points.

Suhey Scores 28 in Win Over Central Mountain
State College, Pa., Jan. 25, 2006-- Sophomore Emily Suhey scored a career- high 28 points to help State College defeat visiting Central Mountain 61-44. The victory snaps a four-game losing streak and puts State in position to challenge for honors in the Mountain High League. Central Mountain drops to 8-9. Altoona leads the conference at 3-0 while Hollidaysburg and State College are 2-1. The game opened at a fast pace, something State College coach Bethany Irwin wanted. The Lions led 21-16 in the first period with Suhey providing 10 points. By halftime the lead was 33-22 and it remained out of reach through the third quarter when State led 48-34 thanks to eight more points from Suhey. "Emily just had a great game," Irwin said. Suhey's previous high was 23 points against Harrisburg this year and topped 20-point performances twice last year when she was a freshman. Producing shots from all angles, Suhey said she just took advantage of what Central Mountain defenders gave her. "Whatever is open is what I choose to go to," she said. State also got 14 points from senior Mandy Clouse and 11 points from senior Alli Mock. The Lions are now 7-10 with a free weekend before action heats up next week. Williamsport, a team to watch in the Harrisburg Patriot-News State Poll, visits Monday with an almost perfect record. One of the Millionaires few losses is to Altoona. State then travels to Hollidaysburg for a Mountain High League game. Hollidaysburg is at Williamsport Friday. State then hosts Blue Mountain Friday, Westmont Hilltop Saturday and Punxsutawney the following Monday. The Lady Little Lion JV defeated Central Mountain 39-25. Sarah Layton was the high scorer in the JV game with 19 points.

Williamsport Defeats State 60-41

State College, Pa., Jan. 30, 2006-- Battling a team ranked in the state poll for the 11th time this season, State College lost to Williamsport 60-41. The loss drops the Lady Little Lions to 7-11 while Williamsport improves to 18-1. Wiliamsport's Madina Ali, the school's all-time leading scorer, had a game high 18 points while teammates Michelle Rorie provided 14 and Emma Thompson 11 points. State's scoring leader was Tara Branigan with a career-high 11 points. The Millionaires built a 16-10 lead in the first quarter when State College committed 10 turnovers. The lead improved to 30-17 by halftime and 46-25 at the end of three quarters. "We lacked desire to go out and win this game," State College coach Bethany Irwin said. "We didn't play well and didn't shoot well at all." State must regroup quickly as an important league game is next on the road. The Lions will visit Hollidaysburg Wednesday. "The league is the most important thing right now," Irwin said. State has two league games remaining with Hollidaysburg and one more with league leader Altoona. In addition State is at home this weekend with Blue Mountain Friday night and Westmont Hilltop Saturday afternoon. Westmont Hilltop is the No. 1 team in class AA. State's JV defeated Williamsport 44-31 with Danielle Spearly leading the way with 11 points. Sarah Layton scored 10 points.

State Loses at Hollidaysburg

State College, Pa., Feb. 1, 2006-- In the first league meeting between the two teams, host Hollidaysburg defeated State College 61-55. The game was a tale of two halves. Ahead 15-12 at the end of the first period, the Lady Little Lions enjoyed a 28-25 advantage at halftime. Hollidaysburg countered with 18-point efforts in the last two quarters to push its record to 13-5 and 3-1 in the Mountain League. State, producing 14 and 13 points after intermission, fell to 7-12 and 2-2 in the league. There was a distinct difference in both teams visits to the charity stripe as Hollidaysburg attemped 21 free throws to State's four. Lion senior Amanda Hart came through with 15 points while sophomore Emily Suhey and senior Mandy Clouse each scored 11 points. "Hollidaysburg shot very well," State College coach Bethany Irwin said. "They made 11 threes. Amanda hit some very nice shots for us." State's JV also fell by a 36-31 score with Sarah Layton scoring 11 points. The Lady Little Lions host back-to-back games Friday and Saturday first hosting Blue Mountain and then Westmont Hilltop.

State Wins In Overtime
Outscores Blue Mountain 61-51
State College, Pa., Feb. 3, 2006-- Pouring in eight straight points in the first three minutes of overtime, State College defeated visiting Blue Mountain 61-51. There would not have been an overtime for the now 8-12 Lady Little Lions without a 3-point field goal from senior Alli Mock with 9.8 seconds left in regulation. That opened the door for senior teammate Mandy Clouse who scored on a reverse layup followed by a bank shot from sophomore Emily Suhey who next scored on a put back of an offensive rebound. Clouse then made both ends of a one-plus-one to give State a 56-48 advantage with 1:52 left. Suhey put back a teammate's missed free throw and it was 58-48. Blue Mountain then got its only extra period points from a Kelli McIntyre 3-pointer but there was only 1:09 left on the clock. Mock made three of four from the charity stripe to create the final margin. In the overtime period State College coach Bethany Irwin asked her team to play as aggressive as it could. "We hit key baskets," she said, "and we were patient. We knew we needed to go into the paint." State's inside game included a game-high 18 points from Suhey. Clouse added 16 points with four straight points coming in the last 51 seconds of regulation to set up Mock's dramatic three to tie the game. Blue Mountain, now 14-8, trailed 25-17 at halftime then made a determined comeback to knot the score at 32 after three periods. McIntyre was the high scorer with 16 points. State College hosts Westmont Hilltop, the No. 1 team in the state among Class AA schools, Saturday afternoon. The State College JV won its game with Blue Mountain 43-37. Souyma Belegundu was the high scorer with 17 points and Sarah Layton had 13 points.

State Loses To Westmont Hilltop
State College, Pa., Feb. 4, 2006-- Westmont Hilltop, ranked No. 1 among Class AA schools in the Harrisburg Patriot News state poll, lived up to its billing handing host State College a 67-48 loss. The Lady Hilltoppers improved to 22-1 while State dropped to 8-13. State held its only lead at the 7:19 mark of the first quarter after Alli Mock nailed a three and the score was 3-2. Westmont Hilltop then went on a 16-3 run to build an 18-6 advantage. The lead grew to 30-9 by halftime thanks to Katie Lintner's 12 points and 10 more from Kelly Britcher. State recovered to outscore the Lady Hilltoppers 14-6 in the first six minutes of the third period but Westmont HIlltop finished with three 3-point field goals in the period's final 57 seconds. The Lions made a statement with a 23-point effort in the fourth quarter. Amanda Hart hit a pair of threes and Suhey and Mandy Clouse each scored five points but the lack of offensive accuracy in the early going was costly. "We shot 14 percent in the first half," State College coach Bethany Irwin said. "The damage was already done." Westmont Hilltop's Lintner, a 5-11 senior, took game scoring honors with 27 points and her teammate Britcher, a 6-0 junior, added 20 points. State's scoring leaders were Suhey with 14 points, Hart with 11 points and Kelsey Guth with 10 points. Guth, a sophomore, provided eight straight points in the third period when State narrowed the gap to 36-23. The Lions have one day off before hosting Punxsutawney Monday night. State's JV prevailed against Westmont Hilltop 40-25. Sarah Layton led the scoring with 13 points.

State College Defeats Punxsutawney in Double OT
Seniors Make The Night Special For Everyone

Clouse

Hart

Mock

State College, Pa., Feb. 6, 2006-- State College celebrated senior night with a double overtime 60-55 victory over visiting Punxsutawney thanks to the elder stateswomen on the team. With the score tied at 43 after four quarters, senior Mandy Clouse drove the baseline giving the Lions a brief advantage. The score was knotted again at 49 by senior Amanda Hart and the first extra period ended without further scoring. In the second overtime, senior Alli Mock jumpstarted State with a deuce then Hart nailed a three to extend the lead to 54-49. Sophomore Emily Suhey then sank a pair of free throws. After hitting a trey to make it 56-52, Punxsutawney had to foul and Mock went four for four over the next 32 seconds to protect State's advantage. Punxsy, a team to watch from Class AAA, led 14-11 after one quarter but State caught up to make it 25-25 by halftime. The score was tied eight times during the contest. State made Punxsy pay from the charity stripe by making 16 of 21 converting 14 straight from the beginning of the fourth quarter until the end of the two overtimes. The Lady Chucks lost for only the third time this season having posted 18 wins. State College improved to 9-13 and kept its extra period record unblemished. The Lions defeated Blue Mountain last Friday 61-51 in a single overtime game. Suhey took team scoring honors with 18 points followed by Mock with 17 points and Clouse with 14 points. Punxsutawney's Samantha Reitz was the game scoring leader with 20 points but she was scoreless in OT thanks to the tight defense of Clouse. State's JV won 49-29 with three players sharing scoring honors at eight points each.

State Loses 49-35 At Altoona
State College, Pa., Feb. 16, 2006-- State College lost a low-scoring game at Altoona 49-35 dropping to 9-14. Altoona improved to 19-5. A slow start put State behind 17-7 after one quarter but the Lion offense held a 11-6 scoring advantage in the second quarter while still trailing 23-18. Altoona outscored State 26-17 in the second half. Sophomore Kelsey Guth was State's scoring leader with nine points, seven in the fourth quarter. Mandy Clouse and Alli Mock each had eight points and Emily Suhey contributed seven points. Altoona's Samantha Reimer earned game scoring honors with 21 points. Teammate Rachel Gehret had 14 points. State's JV lost 48-26. The two varsity teams will meet again in the District 6 Class AAAA Playoffs on Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. at Tyrone High School. The Lions host Hollidaysburg in their final regular season game on Tuesday, Feb. 21.

Close But No Cigar As State
Loses 46-44 To Hollidaysburg
State College, Pa., Feb. 21, 2006-- Hollidaysburg sophomore Sara Trimarcho glided through the lane and sank a bucket with 20 seconds left to lead the Lady Tigers to a 46-44 victory over host State College (9-15). Trimarcho's bucket followed a frustrating 35 seconds when the score was tied and Lady Little foul shooters missed the front end of three straight one plus ones. State had little thought of winning the game in the first quarter when Hollidaysburg (17-7) built a 19-6 lead. Lady Tiger sophomore Amanda Holloway scored 10 of her team's points in the opening stanza. State College began its comeback by inching back to within 29-17 at halftime. The margin narrowed to 36-30 after the third period with State sophomore Emily Suhey providing eight of her team's 13 points. Lady Little Lion senior Alli Mock hit back--to--back threes to tie the score at 36, all in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter. Hollidaysburg's Erica Matko connected on a 3-point bomb but Suhey made a pair of baskets and teammate Kelsey Guth sank two free throws giving State a 42-39 advantage with 3:34 to play. Hollidaysburg senior Kyley Longo got two points for the Tigers on a runner then Guth scored after picking up a loose ball and Jess Zerbee swished a 3-pointer from the corner tying the score at 44 with 2:20 remaining. From that point on it was up to State to take advantage of its opportunities at the charity stripe which it could not do. The Lions got 14 points from Suhey and 13 from Mock. Hollidaysburg's scoring leader was Ottoway with 17 points with Zerbee scoring 10 points and Trimarco nine points. The two teams are headed for the District 6 Playoffs on Monday. State's JV lost its season finale 42-36 with Danielle Spearly providing 12 points.

Season Ends In District 6 Semis
As Altoona Defeats State College 55-39
State College, Pa., Feb. 27, 2006-- Struggling on both ends of the court, State College lost 55-39 to Altoona in the District 6 Semifinals at Tyrone High School. The loss marks the end of the 40th season of girls' basketball for the Lady Little Lions. Altoona led 19-5 after the first eight minutes and was up 32-14 at the break. Rachel Gehret and Samantha Reimer were the leaders in the first half romp by Altoona combining for 17 of their team's first quarter points. Still trailing at the end of three periods 50-20, State College made up some ground with 19 points in the fourth quarter when Altoona's starters sat down. Gehret finished with 16 points and Reimer had 13 points. State's scoring leader was senior Mandy Clouse with 12 points. Sophomore Emily Suhey had nine points. The Lions end the year at 9-16.