Women's Basketball Rolls Past Summit University, 85-56

CLARKS SUMMIT, PA (February 11, 2016) – In what turned out to be a three point battle, Penn State Lehigh Valley's sophomore Hannah Bankes knocked down eight three pointers as Summit University suffered an 85-56 loss.  The Defenders Torri Erdman tried to keep up as she buried six triples of her own, but the team's turnovers proved to be the story as they led to 21 points for the Nittany Lions. 

Summit's Callie Kitowski's offensive rebound on the first possession of the night turned into two points and was followed up by a three from Simone Lichty, leading to a quick 5-3 lead.  The Lady Defenders would go cold for the next six minutes, unable to produce any points.  PSU Lehigh Valley would take full advantage and go on a 13-0 run, giving them a 16-5 lead with 2:20 left in the first quarter.  Kitowski would hit a layup and Torri Erdman would record a three to put Summit down, 16-10 at the end of ten minutes of action. 

The Nittany Lions ran a zone defense that took away the effectiveness of Kitowski inside and limited the driving opportunities of the home team.  Summit began to settle for outside jumpers and were struggling to produce points. 

Torri Erdman's triple, just 18 seconds into the second quarter, cut Summit's deficit to three. 

With 2:19 left before halftime, the Nittany Lions held a slim 29-23 lead.  They would go on a game changing, 12-2 run that would put the home team down by 16 points at the intermission.

To begin the third quarter, Summit left Bankes wide open and she knocked down the three, stretching her team's lead to 44-25.  The Lady Defenders, who were more patient in the second half, worked their offense and began to find their front court for easy layups. 

Midway through the third quarter, Summit would cut the score to 48-33, but junior Ashley Gordon, who had a big half, would put more points on the board and shut down any hopes of Summit coming back.

Gordon led Lehigh Valley with 26 points.  Hannah Bankes recorded 24 points and junior Nikita Brady contributed with a career-high 21 points.  Sophomore Kereece Seuren had another monster game on the boards grabbing a game-high 16 rebounds. 

Lehigh Valley will be back on the court Saturday afternoon at 4 PM against Central Penn College at Cedar Crest College in their final game of the regular season. 

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