Second Quarter Lull Too Much To Overcome For Lions In Defeat

MEDIA, Pa. -- Penn State Brandywine went nearly nine minutes without a point during the second quarter as Penn State Lehigh Valley turned a five-point lead into a 21-point edge at half and claimed a 76-55 victory over the Lions on Saturday afternoon.

Lehigh Valley scored 12 of the game's first 14 points, but Brandywine battled back midway through the first quarter. Ali Wilson (Philadelphia, Pa./St. Hubert's) started a 9-2 Brandywine spurt with a jumper and Kendra Stanford (Philadelphia, Pa./William Bodine) aided in the run with five points, three coming at the free throw stripe.

Nicolette Napoleon's (Springfield, Pa./Penn Charter) jumper with 19 seconds left in the quarter brought Brandywine within five; however, the Lions would go cold in the second, scoring just two points as Lehigh Valley pulled away, establishing a 21-point halftime lead.

The Lions fought to within 11 at the midway point of the third quarter by limiting Lehigh Valley to just one made field goal over a five-minute span. Nikki Velez (Gloucester, City, N.J./Gloucester) opened an 11-2 surge with a layup, while Brandi James (Glenolden, Pa./Interboro), who netted six-straight points during the run, capped it with a pair of free throws, making the score 40-29.

After Lehigh Valley answered with 10 consecutive points, Brandywine again sliced the deficit to 11 early in the fourth quarter after Velez converted a three-point play following a steal by James.

However, the Lions were held without a field goal over the next 4:07 as Lehigh Valley pulled away behind Andrea Watkins, who scored 11 of her game-high 30 points during the final stanza.

Stanford produced the first double-double of her career with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while James just missed a double-double, scoring nine points along with 11 boards. Velez paced Brandywine in scoring with 18 points and added a game-high five steals.

Brandywine was limited to 24 percent shooting, while Lehigh Valley shot 32 percent from the field and held a 63-55 edge on the boards.

Brandywine (3-4, 0-1 PSUAC) is on the road Tuesday at Penn State York. Tip off is slated for 6:30 pm.