WBB downs GA to advance to PSUAC semifinals

McKeesport, PA - The Penn State Fayette women's basketball team advanced to the PSUAC semifinals with a 77-70 win at Greater Allegheny Tuesday night in quarterfinal action.

Kaitlyn Riley (Charleroi, PA/Charleroi HS), who has been on a tear in recent weeks, scored a career-high 29 points and dished out a career-best seven assists to pace Fayette (13-13).

Siteri Tale (Uniontown/Laurel Highlands HS) scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds, Taylor Costa (Donora, PA/Ringgold HS) recorded her seventh double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds and Lyndsey Huhn (California, PA/California HS) scored nine points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

Despite turning the ball over 27 times, Fayette stymied with Greater Allegheny (15-11) defensive pressure and forced it into contested shots. Fayette shot 46% (29-63) while it held Greater Allegheny to 34.5% (29-84).

The game was close throughout, and that should not surprise anyone who had watched the two previous meetings between the teams. Fayette was able to secure an 18-13 lead after the first quarter and after the both teams cored 12 points in the second, Fayette maintained a five-point lead heading into halftime, 30-25.

Coming out of the locker room, Greater Allegheny scored to cut Fayette's lead to three points, but Fayette went on a 10-0 run to take a 40-25 lead and held a 55-40 lead heading into the fourth.

Greater Allegheny, playing with its season on the line, gave it everything it had in the fourth behind Lexus Santiago who finished with 17 points and 18 rebounds. Despite scoring 30 points in the quarter, it would get no closer than 73-70 with 1:14 to go and Fayette clinched its berth in the PSUAC semifinals where it faces PSU Lehigh Valley (22-2) on Friday.

Lehigh Valley won the East Division.

The winner of the game advances to the conference championship game on Sunday which will be held at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park.

For more information on the women's basketball team, go to https://www.psfathletics.com/sports/wbkb/index.

Written by Bill Hughes