Abington, PA - In their first road contest of the season, Cairn University fell to Penn St.-Abington.

Box Score

Neither team on the night shot particularly well, with both squads shooting below 30%. The difference was free-throws and second-chance points. The Lions went an impressive 18-for-18 from the charity line, while the Highlanders only had 7 attempts total from the free-throw line. Of those 7, 3 were made. A difference of 15 points.

During the run of play, Cairn shot a grueling 23%, 12-of-53, while Abington didn't fair much better, making only 29% of their shots from 70 field-goal attempts. The battle down in the paint proved to be another area of difference. While both teams grabbed 31 defensive rebounds apiece, the Lions snatched 21 offensive rebounds and another offensive possession. Ironically, Cairn's Erin Greenwood led all players with 14 rebounds, but she couldn't match the overall team tenacity of the Lions who had players finish with 12, 10, and 9 rebounds respectively.

Abington's Trisha Watson had a game-high 20 points. Hannah McCardle led the way for the Highlanders with 14 points, finishing in double-figures for the third straight game. Greenwood finished with a career-high 8 points. 

As poor as the shooting was on the night, the Highlanders started off very slow, shooting a mere 17% in the first half, as they went into the break trailing 35-16. The Lions were 13-for-37, for a respectful 35%. The second half saw the two teams switch places as far as shooting accuracy. The Highlanders improved in the second stanza, shooting closer to 30% while Penn St. dipped to 21%. Percentages don't matter as much though when given second chances. Abington would take the second half as well, 28-16, for a final score of 63-32.

With the loss, the Highlanders fall to 0-3 on the season and have no time to think about it. On Thursday, Cairn will open up their conference schedule with a visit from Neumann University. Tip-off is set for 6pm.