WBB falls to top-seed in USCAA QFs

The Vikings (25-2) extended their winning streak to 23 wins in a row, but Fayette (14-15) hung in there early with Villa Maria.

The Nittany Lions opened up a 6-0 lead and had an 18-16 advantage after the first quarter, but the Vikings showed their offensive prowess in the second and third quarters.

Villa Maria entered the game with the fourth highest points per game average at 91, and it exploded offensively to a 25-9 advantage in the second quarter to take a commanding 41-27 lead into halftime.

The top-seed outdid its second quarter output by outscoring Fayette 33-8 in the third and it cruised the rest of the way.

Kaitlyn Riley (Charleroi, PA/Charleroi HS) once again paced Fayette as she scored 25 points on 10 of 17 shooting.

Siteri Tale (Uniontown/Laurel Highlands HS) finished with eight points and 10 rebounds while Taylor Costa (Donora, PA/Ringgold HS) and Lyndsey Huhn (California, PA/California HS) grabbed nine boards each.

Villa Maria, which placed all five starters in double figures, was led by Armoni Jordan who scored 19 points.

Shaquana Owens finished with a triple double for the Vikings as she scored 12 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and had 10 assists.

Villa Maria's biggest advantage was scoring 38 points off of 30 Fayette turnovers while the Nittany Lions only scored six points off of 10 Villa Maria turnovers.

Fayette shot 37.9% (22-58) for the game while Villa Maria shot 40.2% (37-92).

The Nittany Lions close out their season by facing a familiar foe in the consolation bracket today as it takes on PSUAC West foe Penn State Beaver (22-6) at 10:00 a.m. in the ARC Gym.

Beaver swept both games this season as it won at Fayette, 82-74 on January 12 and protected its home court on February 4, 68-63.

For more information on the national championships, go to http://basketball.theuscaa.com/landing/index.

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

Written by Bill Hughes