NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. - The Penn State New Kensington women's basketball team opened its 2021-22 campaign at home on Wednesday, falling to Carlow University 72-20.

With the setback, New Kensington is 0-1, while Carlow improved to 1-0.

Carlow gained command in the opening quarter, as the Celtics outpaced the Lions 23-8. In that period, four different players from New Kensington scored, as Deshaya Chavis (Penn Hills, Pa./Penn Hills), Ryliegh Beck (Saegertown, Pa/Maplewood), Alexa Marasco (Natrona Heights, Pa/Highlands), and Shaylynne Boitnott (Meadville, Pa./Meadville) all notched their first points of the season.

The second period, although lower scoring, was once again in favor of the Celtics, who limited New Kensington to just two points and extended their halftime lead to 34-10.

In the third quarter, Carlow outscored New Kensington 18-1, as Chavis accounted for the lone point for the Lions on a foul shot. The Lions committed 12 turnovers and missed seven shots from the field in the stanza.

The host Lions recorded their highest-scoring output in the fourth quarter, with Chavis and Beck combining for all nine points.

In the defeat, Chavis paced New Kensington with eight points, and she also snagged five rebounds, dished out two assists, and produced three steals. Beck posted six points and a team-leading 10 rebounds. Additionally, Boitnott grabbed six rebounds, while Marasco and Sarah Usko (Lower Burrell, Pa/Burrell) each collected four boards.

For Carlow, Caitlyn Trombley netted a game-high nine points, Alivia Schultheis and Brianna Evans each grabbed seven rebounds, and Shaelyn Clark contributed three assists and three steals.

Penn State New Kensington returns to the court on Monday, hosting Westmoreland County Community College at 6 p.m.