Kopcik dribbling vs Cedar Crest
Gene Walsh
53
Cedar Crest CEDWB19 0-3
61
Winner Penn State Berks PSBW 2-3
Cedar Crest CEDWB19
0-3
53
Final
61
Penn State Berks PSBW
2-3
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Cedar Crest CEDWB19 13 19 2 19 53
Penn State Berks PSBW 15 9 13 24 61

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Second half surge powers Nittany Lions over Cedar Crest

READING, PA - The Penn State Berks women's basketball team improved its defense and shooting in second half to overcome a sluggish start in a 61-53 victory over Cedar Crest College in non-conference action on Tuesday night at the Beaver Community Center.

The Nittany Lions (2-3) fell behind 13-4 in the early going, but closed out the first quarter on a 11-0 run to take a 15-13 lead into the second. The Falcons (0-3) quickly retook the lead dominated the second period to go ahead 32-24 at halftime. Out of the break, neither team could make a basket and the first made basket did not come until 5:54 left in the quarter when Kaitlyn Armstrong drained a 3-pointer for her first score of the night. Nicole Kopcik and Armstrong hit back-to-back 3's, followed by a layup from Kopcik to put Berks up 35-32. Cedar Crest got its only points of the third quarter off a layup, but Kristen Burdo hit a jumper to give Berks a 37-34 lead after three quarters.

The Nittany Lions lead got knocked down to two (40-38) with 7:08 to play in the game, before Abbie Carr and Kopcik combined on four layups during an 8-2 run to make it a 48-40 lead for Berks. Sam Huggins knocked down a jumper to give Berks its largest lead of the evening at 10 (50-40) with 2:33 to play. With the lead down to six and under one minute to play, Kopcik went 6-for-6 at the foul line and Armstrong hit a pair at the line to fend off a rally by the Falcons. Sam Brensinger went 1-for-2 at the line with 20 seconds remaining to put the game out of reach with an eight point lead.

Kopcik's career-best performance helped lead the Nittany Lions to the victory. The sophomore guard poured in 18 points, behind a 9-for-11 performance at the foul line. She also set career-highs in rebounds (6), field goals made (4), and free throws made (11). Kopcik was the catalyst for the second half comeback, where she tallied 15 of her points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor and a 6-for-7 performance at the stripe.

Armstrong also turned in a solid second half performance after being held scoreless in the first 20 minutes. She drained three 3's in the second half and finished with 11 points to go along with nine rebounds, five steals, and four assists. Julia Bookwalter recorded nine points, 10 boards, and three steals, while Elise Paskowski added eight points and nine rebounds. Carr, who had six points and six boards, notched a team-high four blocked shots.

Mackenzie Borger finished with a game-high 19 points, while Geminii Cabrera chipped in 17 points. Venus Cabrera pulled down 10 rebounds and Meghan Gregory registered six blocked shots.

The Nittany Lions will host their final home game of the fall semester against Albright College on Thursday, November 21 at 7 p.m. Members of Penn State Berks SAAC will collect canned goods, other non-perishable food items, or a monetary donation for free admission to the contest.
 
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