Late run gives Lady Roaring Lions important conference win
Leading by seven points with just over five minutes to play, the Penn State Fayette Lady Roaring Lions were able to come back from a late run and win, 68-64, over host Penn State DuBois in a PSUAC West division match-up.
February 3, 2011--DuBois, Pa.
Leading by seven points with just over five minutes to play, the Penn State Fayette Lady Roaring Lions were able to come back from a late run and win, 68-64, over host Penn State DuBois in a PSUAC West division match-up. The win, along with two forfeit wins over Penn State Greater Allegheny and one over Penn State Scranton, improves the Lady Roaring Lions to 9-2 in the PSUAC and clinches a berth in the playoffs.
The Lady Roaring Lions were led by freshman Jill Guthrie, who scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Sophomore Kaitlyn Novak chipped in 12 points while junior Jennifer Thomas provided a spark off the bench with 10 points, accounting for nearly half of Fayette's bench points.
The Lady Roaring Lions took a 57-50 lead with 5:03 to play, but an 8-0 DuBois run gave the host a 58-57 lead with 2:58 to play. Sophomore Kayla Hatfield hit a free throw to tie the score at 58 only 30 seconds later. DuBois rallied back with a score and free throw to complete an old-fashioned three-point play, taking a 61-58 lead. Novak answered with a lay-up, but DuBois put in a free throw to lead 62-60 with 1:19 to play. Guthrie answered with a jump shot, and following a DuBois turnover Thomas provided the last lead change of the night, making two free throws to give Fayette a 64-62 advantage. A steal by Novak coupled with her four free throws with less than 10 seconds to play squashed a late DuBois lay-up, giving Fayette the 68-64 victory.
In a game that featured 11 tie scores and 14 lead changes, Thomas' points off the bench were important, helping the Lady Roaring Lions bench outproduce the Lady Lions, 21-10. Despite being outrebounded 41-35, Fayette won the battle in the paint, outscoring DuBois 20-10, while the Lady Roaring Lions defense created 21 turnovers, leading directly to 18 points.
DuBois was led by Kelsie Rini with 17 points and 10 rebounds while Missy Aul contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Lady Roaring Lions travel to Penn State Beaver in a PSUAC West showdown on Saturday, Feb. 5, at 1:00 p.m. Beaver won the previous meeting on Jan. 24, 78-48.