WASHINGTON – The Gallaudet University women's basketball team was unable to withstand a second half surge by Penn St.-Abington on Saturday afternoon at the Field House as the Bison fell to the Nittany Lions by a score of 66-48 in a North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) contest. Gallaudet (2-15, 0-10 NEAC) has now lost 15 straight contests after starting the season 2-0.

The Bison went into halftime up 27-24 but were unable to hold onto the lead as Penn St.-Abington junior forward Jaclyn Vandiver drilled a 3-pointer just eight seconds into the second half. Gallaudet sophomore guard Alexa Justus (Forks, Wash.) answered with a three of her own, but the Nittany Lions fought back and took the lead for good with 12:48 left in the contest. Senior guard Trish Watson was the leading scorer for Penn St.-Abington (8-9, 6-4 NEAC) with 22 points.

Three Bison reached double-digit scoring in the contest. Justus was the leading scorer as she posted 16 points and six rebounds. She also added two steals defensively. Senior forward Lindsay Stergio (Montville, Conn.), who also added two steals, was one rebound short of a double-double as she scored 14 points and pulled down nine boards. Sophomore guard Claire Tucker (Middletown, Md.) was the third Bison player to reach double digits with 10 points and five rebounds.

Gallaudet was badly outshot by PSA in the second half. The Nittany Lions made 61.5 percent of their shots in the period while the Bison only connected on 32.1 percent.

The Bison will look to end their losing streak tomorrow at noon when they host conference foe College of St. Elizabeth (7-9, 5-5 NEAC) at the Field House.