Lady Roaring Lions clinch first ever playoff spot with win

February 15, 2011--Uniontown, Pa.

History was made Tuesday night, as the Penn State Fayette Lady Roaring Lions clinched their first ever playoff spot and the third-seed in the PSUAC playoffs with a 92-88 victory over PSUAC West division rival Penn State DuBois. The victory improves Fayette to 10-4 in the conference, and sets several milestones for the Fayette program, including the most wins ever (10), most conference wins (10), best conference finish (third) and sets up the Lady Roaring Lions to host their first PSUAC playoff game in history.

The win also marked the second victory over the Lady Lions in 12 days, with Fayette winning 68-64 at DuBois on Feb. 3. DuBois falls to 8-5 in the PSUAC, and will travel to Penn State Beaver on Wednesday, Feb. 16 before learning their seed in the playoffs.

Freshman Jill Guthrie led the Lady Roaring Lions with 21 points and four steals on 10-for-19 shooting. Sophomore Kayla Hatfield stepped up with 20 points and 10 rebounds, including two three-point field goals with less than two minutes to play, both giving Fayette the lead at the time. Sophomore Kasey Ruble also collected a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while junior Jennifer Thomas scored 12 points to round out the Lady Roaring Lions players in double figures.

The game, which saw 12 lead changes and seven tie scores, was evenly matched in several categories including rebounds (46-46), assists (18-18), steals (Fayette, 9-8) and fouls (Fayette, 25-23). Fayette, however, was able to capitalize on DuBois' miscues, creating 27 points off of only 15 turnovers. The Lady Roaring Lions also had their best shooting performance of the season, shooting nearly 48 percent (34-for-71), including 9-for-18 from behind the three-point arc.

Holding a 49-46 advantage at halftime, Fayette used a quick 10-0 run to extend its lead to 13 with 17:29 to play. The teams traded baskets for the next several minutes, and a few defensive stops by DuBois brought them within four points, 79-75, with just under five minutes to play. Guthrie made a lay-up off a loose ball to extend the lead to six, with two DuBois free throws cutting it back to four before Ruble put back an offensive rebound for a six-point advantage with 3:58 left. The Lady Lions crawled back with a three-point field goal and a lay-up off of a Fayette turnover, slicing the lead to one with 3:31 remaining. DuBois made two free throws to take their first lead of the second half, 84-83, with 2:28 to play, before Hatfield hit the first of her two big three-pointers from the corner to give Fayette the 86-84 lead. The Lady Lions answered with a three of their own, and free throws by each team left the Lady Roaring Lions trailing by one with 1:13 left to play. Hatfield proceeded to make her second three-point field goal in less than two minutes, from the same corner, to give Fayette their final lead of the night at 90-88 with 41 seconds on the clock. Two Fayette free throws sealed the win and a home playoff game.

Penn State DuBois was led by Jessica Tarr with 18 points while Missy Aul chipped in 15. Tessa Vargas scored 14 and Kelsie Rini added 13 to round out the Lady Lions' players in double figures.

The Lady Roaring Lions will host an opponent to be determined on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 1:00 p.m. in the Community Center Main Arena. The winner will advance to the PSUAC semi-finals, held Tuesday, Feb. 22, at University Park, Pa. in the Bryce Jordan Center at 9:00 p.m.