2026 AMCC Women's Basketball First Round News and Notes
#6 Hilbert College Hawks (4-21, 4-12 AMCC) at #3 Penn State Altoona Lions (18-7, 13-3)
Tuesday, February 24th, 2026
Alder Athletic Complex | Altoona, PA | 7 pm
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Hilbert Hawks
- Hilbert earned the AMCC's sixth seed and the third playoff appearance in the five-year tenure of head coach Nicole Bullock.
- The Hawks feature a balanced offensive attack with four players (Mia Aldaya, Learsi Sabala, Bianca Iten, and Kayla Johnson) scoring at least seven points per game in conference play, while Nyema Blair add in 6.9 points a night.
- Hilbert features two of the top 15 rebounders in the conference as Sabala's 8.7 boards a game and Iten's 6.4 rebounds per game are good for 4th and 15th, respectively.
- The Hawks move the ball well, leading to Iten, Johnson, and Blair all ranking inside the top 20 on the conference's assists list.
- Aldaya has been a threat from beyond the arc all season for the Hawks as she has made at least three three-pointers in nine contests, and she ranks second in the AMCC with 2.3 makes from deep per game.
- Defensively, Sabala's 0.9 blocks per game and Iten's 2.0 steals per contest rank them 6th and 11th, respectively.
Penn State Altoona Lions
- Altoona carries an impressive 13-3 AMCC record including a 7-1 mark inside the Alder Athletic Complex
- The Lions offense is led by Lanie Wilt, Avana Sayles, and Jaidyn McCracken who all rank inside the top 15 in points per game in AMCC play with 16.2, 15.7, and 11.2, respectively.
- McCracken and Wilt shoot the ball well from beyond the arc as the duo each ranks inside the top ten on the conference's three-pointers made per game list.
- The Lions are led on the glass by Sayles who is one of just two AMCC players to average double-digit rebounds per game this season with 10.6 boards a night.
- In addition to leading the team in scoring, Wilt also operates as the Lions' primary playmaker as her 3.7 assists per game lead the team and rank her second in the conference.
- Defensively, Sayles is one of three players in the conference to rank in the top six in both steals and points as she anchors an Altoona defense that allows opponents to shoot just 33.2% in conference play.
Series History
- Altoona won both matchups this season, taking down the Hawks, 62-48 in Hamburg on January 7th, before completing the sweep with a 85-39 home victory on January 31st.
- Sabala and Aldaya each hit in double figures for the Hawks in the first matchup, with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Sabala also added ten rebounds to complete the double-double.
- Sayles' 19-point 16-rebound double-double led the way for Altoona on the road while Madison Rusnica chipped in 13 points and five boards.
- The Hawks were led by Caycee Scott's eight-point effort in the second matchup while Sabala continued to rebound well against the Lions with ten boards in the defeat.
- Four Lions scored at least 15 points in their home victory against the Hawks as the hosts outscored Hilbert in all four quarters in the decisive victory.
- All time, the Lions own a 19-11 advantage over the Hawks with wins in the last six matchups. Hilbert's last victory in the series came in the 2023 AMCC Postseason Tournament in what was the most recent playoff matchup between the Hawks and Lions.
Stat Comparisons – Conference only games:
Points per game / offense: 48.9 HIL | 73.9.0 PSA
Points per game /
defense: 67.6 HIL | 55.0 PSA
FG% offense: 32.2% HIL | 38.2% PSA
FG%
defense: 40.2% HIL | 33.2% PSA
3FG% offense: 26.7% HIL | 28.2% PSA
3FG%
defense: 27.8% HIL | 28.0% PSA
Rebound offense: 13.4 HIL | 17.9 PSA
Rebound
defense: 24.8 HIL | 28.3 PSA
Steals 7.8 HIL | 12.1 PSA
