Lady Roaring Lions knocked off in first round of USCAA's

March 2, 2011--Uniontown, Pa.

The 11-seed Penn State Fayette Lady Roaring Lions fell to 6-seed Briarcliffe College, 75-57,in the first round of the 2011 USCAA National Basketball Championships. The loss drops Fayette into the ninth-place consolation round, where they will face 10-seed The Apprentice School at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 3, at 3:00 p.m. in the Maltho Gymnasium at Penn State Fayette. Briarcliffe advances to the quarterfinal round where they will face 3-seed Robert Morris-Springfield, who had a first round bye.

The Lady Roaring Lions were led by freshman Morgan Moluski, who had a career-high 13 points on four three-point field goals. Sophomore Kaitlyn Novak chipped in 10 points and a team-high four assists, while freshman Jill Guthrie narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.

Fayette was hampered by poor shooting, especially early on. Shooting only 20 percent (8-for-40) in the first half put the Lady Roaring Lions in an 11-point hole, and despite an early push in the second half that saw Briarcliffe's lead cut to three at 44-41, Fayette could not come any closer. Fayette outscored Briarcliffe off the bench, 25-10, but were outrebounded 59-47.

Briarcliffe was led by Jessica Little with 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Simone Thomas also posted a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Ifeanyi Ofili added 18 points for Briarcliffe.

Fayette faces Apprentice in a rematch of a Nov. 20 match-up during the Great Ships Classic in Hampton, Va. Apprentice won 90-44 on their home floor. Apprentice lost 68-60 to Penn State Beaver in their first round game.