Fayette upends Schuylkill in first ever playoff game

February 19, 2011--Uniontown, Pa.

History was made Saturday afternoon, as the third-seed Penn State Fayette Lady Roaring Lions defeated the sixth-seed Penn State Schuylkill Lady Lions, 75-58, in the quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference Tournament. The game marked Fayette's first ever playoff appearance, including their first ever time serving as a host, earning that right with a 10-4 regular season conference record, finishing third in the PSUAC.

The Lady Roaring Lions defeated Schuylkill in their only meeting during the regular season, 77-75, in overtime on Dec. 11.

Fayette was led by freshman Jill Guthrie with 17 points and seven rebounds, while also contributing four steals. Sophomore Kaitlyn Novak added 14 points, including several free throws down the stretch to seal the victory. Sophomore Kasey Ruble finished with 13 points and five assists, while junior Jennifer Thomas came off the bench to score 13 points. Sophomore Nicole Garrety chipped in eight points, but was dominate on the glass, pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds, including eight offensive boards.

The Lady Roaring Lions never trailed by more than two points, with Schuylkill's last lead coming with 11:50 remaining in the first half, and Fayette would not trail again. By halftime, Fayette had built an 11-point advantage, 44-33, and led by as many as 20 points in the second half.

Despite struggling from three-point range, the Lady Roaring Lions were able to overcome a poor shooting night with second chance points. The Lady Lions outrebounded Fayette 56-54, but the Lady Roaring Lions pulled down 31 offensive rebounds, turning them into 25 points. The difference, however, came in the form of turnovers, as Fayette forced 20 turnovers, capitalizing with 26 points off the Schuylkill miscues. The Lady Roaring Lions turned the ball over a season-low seven times, with only two coming in the first half. The extra opportunities off of turnovers and offensive rebounds were enough for Fayette to survive a 26-for-83 (31 percent) shooting night, and give them the program's first ever postseason victory.

The Lady Lions were led by Laneesha Harrison with a game-high 19 points, while Fatima Rone chipped in 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Fayette advances to the PSUAC Tournament semi-finals in the Bryce Jordan Center on the Penn State-University Park campus. The game is scheduled to tip at 9:00 p.m. against the winner of the Penn State Brandywine/Penn State DuBois game. Fayette defeated DuBois twice during the regular season, 68-64 and 92-88, and lost it's only regular-season meeting with Brandywine, 75-71. One-seed Penn State Beaver will take on the winner of Penn State Wilkes-Barre/Penn State Hazleton at 7:00 p.m.