Strong Start Propels Fayette to Second Straight Win

December 4, 2011

UNIONTOWN, Pa. - Sophomore Jill Guthrie (Vanderbilt, Pa.) scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, notching her first double-double of the season, to lead Penn State Fayette to an 87-68 win over Penn State York in their home and conference opener. The Roaring Lions (2-3, 1-0 PSUAC) won their second consecutive game and start the conference season with a win for the second straight year.

A balanced Fayette attack included 19 points from freshman Caitlin Wontroba (Uniontown, Pa.), who went 8-for-14 from the floor, including two three-point field goals. Senior Jennifer Thomas (Uniontown, Pa.) scored 14 points, while junior Kasey Ruble (Fairchance, Pa.) added 13 points and a game-high seven assists for Fayette. Junior Kaitlyn Novak (Bobtown, Pa.) rounded out the Roaring Lions double-figure scorers with 11 points, while chipping in six assists.

The Roaring Lions jumped out to an early 21-5 lead after eight minutes of play, but York battled back to make it 32-25 with just under three minutes left to play in the first half. But a 10-0 Fayette spurt including five points from Guthrie, made it 42-25 just before halftime. York was unable to cut the deficit to less than 15, and Fayette led by as many as 26 in the second half.

Fayette held slim advantages over York, scoring 14 points in the paint to the Lady Lions' 10, and eight points off of turnovers to York's seven. Bench points were nearly identical, as the Roaring Lions subs scored 21 points to York's 20. The difference, however, was Fayette's stingy defense that forced 25 Lady Lions turnovers, while only committing 14 of their own giveaways. The Roaring Lions also held a distinct advantage in shot attempts and made field goals, shooting 46 percent from the field on 38-for-83 shooting. York went 23-for-57, nearly 41 percent, from the field.

Hannah Kuhn had a game-high 29 points and added 12 rebounds, while teammate Shakayla Mitchell scored 28 points and pulled down a game-high 19 rebounds.

Fayette returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 10 as they travel to conference foe Penn State Schuylkill for a 1:00 p.m. tip-off.