Turnovers prove costly in New Ken women’s loss

NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. - Plagued by 34 turnovers, the Penn State New Kensington women's basketball team sputtered offensively on Monday, dropping a home contest against Penn State Wilkes-Barre 72-39.

New Ken fell to 2-13 overall, including a 1-8 mark in Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) action. Wilkes-Barre, conversely, improved to 8-5 on the season, and 4-5 in the PSUAC.

The opening quarter of play set the tone for the game, as New Ken struggled, making just one field goal. The cold shooting, combined with turnovers, resulted in New Ken falling into a 16-4 deficit after the opening period.

New Kensington found its footing offensively in the second quarter, with junior Ryleigh Beck (Saegertown, Pa/Maplewood) contributing a pair of buckets, but New Ken had no answers on defense. Wilkes-Barre connected on 9-of-18 shots in the quarter, including a three-pointer in the closing seconds to take a 38-17 lead into the break.

Wilkes-Barre outscored New Ken in the third and fourth quarters, as well, to claim the victory.

For the game, New Ken shot just 31.4 percent from the field, struggling from behind the arc and at the foul line, as well.

Beck paced the New Kensington attack with 14 points, as well as five rebounds. Freshman Kierra Rose (Uniontown, Pa/Uniontown Area) scored eight points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds, while classmate Auveonna Perkins (Arnold, Pa/Valley) snagged 12 boards.

Freshman Olivia Prato led Wilkes-Barre with a game-leading 23 points, shooting 11-of-15, while freshman Jessica Charles produced 13 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and seven steals.

New Kensington next plays on Friday, a road tilt at Penn State Brandywine at 6 p.m. Meanwhile, Wilkes-Barre returns home to welcome Penn State Greater Allegheny on Friday at 6 p.m.