Freshman Duo Ignites Penn State Altoona to Seventh Straight Win
When a college team gets one freshman who can step in and immediately make an impact, that’s a win. But when two first-year guards are not just contributing, but leading the charge? That’s the kind of spark that can shift a season-and maybe even a program.
Penn State Altoona is riding that wave right now, thanks to the backcourt tandem of Lanie Wilt and Ellie Irvin. The duo combined for 49 points Wednesday night in an 80-66 home win over Mount Aloysius, extending the Lady Lions’ win streak to seven games and keeping them firmly in the hunt as the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference regular season winds down.
Wilt, a local product out of Altoona Area, set the tone early and never let up. She poured in a game-high 28 points, grabbed nine boards, and controlled the tempo from the jump. Her three-ball midway through the first quarter helped break open a tight start, fueling a 17-9 run that gave the Lady Lions some early breathing room.
Mount Aloysius didn’t fold, though. Led by Homer-Center alum Molly Kosmack-who had herself a night with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists-the Lady Mounties clawed back to within one.
But Wilt had an answer. After a missed free throw, she calmly knocked down a jumper to stop the bleeding and kick-start another Altoona run.
By the end of the first quarter, the Lions were back up 25-20.
“She controls the game,” Mount Aloysius head coach Brian Giesler said postgame. “She’s the [AMCC] newcomer of the year in my mind.
Handles it like a junior or senior. That makes it tough.”
Wilt didn’t let up in the second quarter either. A slick feed from Irvin led to a layup, and then she buried another three to stretch the lead to 39-27. She had 22 points by halftime as the Lady Lions took a commanding 53-36 lead into the locker room.
“She has a lot of poise, and that’s something she brought with her,” said Penn State Altoona head coach Halee Hutchinson. “We didn’t teach her that.
She’s got two speeds, and that makes a huge difference. People try to double her, and she just uses her body and her pace to get around it.
We ask a lot of Lanie, and she’s stepped up every time.”
Mount Aloysius made one final push in the third, with Kosmack again leading the charge. Her and-one free throw trimmed the deficit to 63-56, giving the visitors a glimmer of hope.
But that’s when Bellwood-Antis product Jaidyn McCracken stepped in and buried a momentum-killing three to push the lead back to eight. It was one of 11 threes on the night for Penn State Altoona, who shot a sharp 41 percent from deep.
“You can’t really prepare for them to shoot like that and expect to win,” Giesler said. “We got blitzed early, and when you spend that much energy trying to come back, it’s hard to finish the job.”
Turnovers also played a big role. The Lady Lions turned defense into offense all night long, outscoring Mount Aloysius 19-4 off turnovers. That defensive pressure, combined with timely shooting, proved too much to overcome.
Irvin, who’s stepped into a starting role following an injury, showed she’s more than ready for the spotlight. She knocked down a three early in the fourth to put the game out of reach and finished with 21 points and four assists.
“Ellie was coming off the bench, and then we had an injury, and now she’s starting,” Hutchinson said. “There was no drop-off.
She came in and did what we needed. I asked her to step up her defense, and she has.
She’s done everything I’ve asked.”
With three regular-season games remaining, Penn State Altoona is not just playing good basketball-they’re playing connected basketball. The kind of unselfish, team-first style that’s built for February and beyond.
“The most exciting thing is they don’t care who’s scoring,” Hutchinson said. “They share the ball.
We’ve been racking up assists and offensive rebounds. They just want to win together.”
And right now, they’re doing exactly that.