ERIE, Pa. – La Roche women's basketball championship streak came to a pause last year, but the dynasty resumed this season, returning to the top of the mountain in the AMCC, defeating Penn State Behrend, 67-55.
Behrend took control in the first 2:30 of play, leading 4-0, out of the box.
The Redhawks threw a huge punch over the next 5:30, storming ahead with a 16-2 to take a 16-6 lead.
Over the final minute, the Lions would creep back in, cutting the deficit to 17-12 going into the second.
In the second, La Roche continued to open up the lead, utilizing a 12-2 run over the first 6:16 of play, making it 29-14.
The remainder of the half, the Redhawks coasted into halftime, leading 35-23.
Out of the locker room, it turned into a minor flashback of the 2024 championship game.
Last year, La Roche trailed by just two at the break and the Lions stormed ahead, outscoring the Redhawks, 20-12.
The third quarter was just like that tonight. Despite leading by 12 to start the half, Behrend would shut down La Roche to the tune of 20-7 and the Redhawks fell behind, 43-42 going into the fourth.
La Roche would refuse to see the ghost of last year's championship reappear, opening the fourth quarter with a 15-2 run across 8:07 to regain a 10-point, 57-47 lead, ultimately outscoring the Lions, 25-12, sealing the victory.
For the game, the Redhawks shot 33.9% (19-for-56) from the floor and 3-for-13 (23.1%) from deep. From the charity stripe, they went 26-for-35 (74.3%).
On the other side, Behrend went on to shoot 35.7% (20-for-56) from the field, 2-for-9 from deep (22.2%) and 13-for-19 (68.4%) from the foul line.
Jazmine Dunn exploded in the championship. Dunn netted 26 points, grabbed five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Dasja Anderson followed with 16 points, six rebounds and three assist.
Both Dunn and Anderson earned AMCC All-Tournament Team honors at the end of the game.
The next stop for La Roche is the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Redhawks will find out their opponent on Monday, Mar. 3 at 2:30 p.m. during the NCAA Selection Show.