The Lady Lions could not overcome a 20-point halftime deficit as they fell to 2-7 with a 62-57 road loss to Hartford.

Penn State was down 38-18 at halftime, as a dismal 7-for-24 (29.2 percent) shooting performance from the field, combined with a hot first half from beyond the arc for Hartford (6-for-12, 50 percent), dug the team a big hole early on. Hartford closed out the last 12 minutes of the half on a 28-13 run.

The Lady Lions rallied, however, outscoring Hartford 39-24 in the second half. Penn State closed the lead to four points with 11.7 seconds left on a Kaliyah Mitchell triple, but Hartford clinched the victory at the free throw line shortly thereafter.

Candice Agee was the standout star for the Lady Lions, notching 20 points on 13 shots along with eight rebounds, both of which led the team. It was the second 20-point game of the junior center’s career. Sierra Moore was the only other Penn Stater in double figures, chipping in 10 points and five assists. Mitchell added nine points and seven rebounds, but had a dreadful night shooting the ball (2-for-13 from the field).

Deanna Mayza did most of the damage for Hartford, pouring in 25 points on 10 shots while playing all 40 minutes. Amazingly, Mayza did not score a single two-point basket: She made six of her eight three-point attempts and seven of her eight free throws to accumulate her 25 points. Cherelle Moore added 14 points and eight rebounds to help Mayza carry the load.

Hartford’s three-point shooting (a robust 11-for-23, 47.8%) was instrumental in helping them defeat the Lady Lions (who only shot 2-of-9 from beyond the arc), as Hartford moves to 4-6 on the season.

Penn State (2-7) plays its next game at home against Rider on Sunday, Dec. 14 at 2:30 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the men’s team. The men take on George Washington at noon.