Lady Lions fall to Penn State Beaver

MONACA, Pa. – Sydnee Abernathy's game high 29 points helped Penn State Beaver to an 83-53 win over the Lady Roaring Lions on Wednesday at the Beaver Field House.

Fayette started fast, scoring the first four points of the game and using solid defense to stymie Beaver's offense on the first six trips down the floor.

Morgan Kurtz hit a jumper to give beaver the lead at the 14:50 mark. Fayette reclaimed the lead four minutes later on a Kaitlin Miller (Bald Eagle, Pa.)  jumper.

"The game started out just as we expected," Fayette Head Coach Vince Capozzi said. "We knew it was crucial to play well in the first 10 minutes and we did that. We just couldn't sustain it."

The teams traded baskets over the next five minutes before Beaver went on a 15-5 run to take a 10-point lead into the locker room at halftime."

Fayette's defense held Beaver to a 29 percent average from the floor in the half, but a series of fouls in rapid succession gave Beaver free throw opportunities. Of the team's 38 first half points, almost half came via free throws.

Beaver came out and scored the first seven points of the second half to take control of the game and the closest the Lady Roaring Lion s (1-6, 1-1) would come was seven points after a pair of Jackie Halapy (Morgantown, W.Va.) free throws at the 15-minute mark.

Miller scored her first double-double of the season, scoring 12, grabbing 11 rebounds and blocking a women's basketball school record for blocked shots in a game.  Halapy added 10 points and seven rebounds. Ally Rudolph (Point Marion, Pa.) came off the bench to score nine.

Courtney Haines (McClellandtown, Pa.) grabbed nine rebounds and registered four blocked four shots.

Fayette returns to action on Saturday when the Lady Roaring Lions host Penn State Wilkes Barre at 1:00 p.m.