Allentown, Pa. – Penn State Lehigh Valley remained unbeaten on the season on Saturday with a 73-54 victory over Keystone College in a non-conference women's basketball game played at Cedar Crest College.  The Nittany Lions improve to 3-0 on the season while the Giants fall to 1-5 overall after suffering their fifth straight setback.
 
Penn State Lehigh Valley scored the first 11 points of Saturday's game before Keystone used a 9-2 run to cut its deficit to 16-11 with 2:15 remaining in the first quarter.  The two teams traded field goals the rest of the way with the Nittany Lions holding a 20-13 advantage after the first period.
 
The hosts opened the second quarter with 12 straight points and would lead by as many as 22 points before taking a 39-19 lead into halftime.
 
Penn State Lehigh Valley's Ashley Gordon led all scorers with 11 points in the first half while Ebony Sanders netted 10 points for the Nittany Lions, who shot 41.9 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes of play while going 72.2 percent from the free throw line.
 
Brianna Nolen (Union Bridge, Md./Walkersville) paced Keystone with six first half points while Catia Johnson (Baltimore, Md./Bel Air) chipped in with four points in the first two stanzas.  Brittany Sugalski (Nanticoke, Pa./Greater Nanticoke Area) pulled down five rebounds for the Giants, who hit on 33.3 percent of their attempts from the floor in the first half and were 66.7 percent from the charity stripe.
 
Penn State Lehigh Valley opened up a 51-24 advantage in the first six minutes of the third frame before Keystone rattled off six straight points to pull to within 21 points, a deficit the Giants faced heading into the final stanza. 
 
The Nittany Lions opened the fourth quarter with a layup before Keystone scored 10 straight points to pull to within 13 at 61-48 with 5:34 remaining, but the Giants were unable to pull any closer as Penn State Lehigh Valley pulled away with the 19-point victory.
 
Gordon finished with a game-high 17 points for the Nittany Lions and was joined in double-figures by Sanders (14), Andrea Watkins (12), and Hannah Bankes (11).  Sanders also collected game-highs of 13 rebounds and seven blocks for Penn State Lehigh Valley, who shot 38 percent from the field for the game, 23.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 57.7 percent from the line.
 
Nolen led Keystone with 12 points while Nina Hodanich (Scranton, Pa./West Scranton) finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, and a team-best five assists.  Sugalski recorded her first double-double of the season on 10 points – going a perfect 5-5 from the field – and 11 rebounds while adding a team-best three steals.  Bryce Garrett (Philadelphia, Pa./John Bartram) chipped in with nine points for the Giants, who connected on 35.8 percent of their attempts from the floor for the game including a 30 percent showing from long distance and a 56.5 percent day on free throws.
 
Penn State Lehigh Valley held a 35-34 edge in rebounds for the game and forced Keystone to turn the ball over 34 times compared to 18 giveaways for the hosts. 
  
Keystone will open the Colonial States Athletic Conference portion of its schedule on Wednesday night with a home tilt against Cedar Crest College.  Opening tip between the Giants and Falcons is set for 6:00 p.m. in the Gambal Athletic Center in La Plume.