Lady Roaring Lions split weekend home matches

LEMONT FURNACE—The Penn State Fayette women's basketball team rebounded from an 85-57 loss to highly-rated Penn State Hazleton with an 82-71 win over Penn State Brandywine.

    The back-to-back weekend set on Jan. 15 and 16 left the Lady Roaring Lions with a 4-2 conference record heading into this week's PSUAC action.

    Fayette trailed from the outset against once-beaten Hazleton, falling behind 20-12 after one quarter and 41-29 at halftime.

    Albert Gallatin alumnus Ally Rudolph led Fayette with 15 points that included two 3-point field goals. Fellow AG graduate Courtney Haines and Taylor Smith were next in scoring with 14 points each.

    Haines led Fayette in rebounding with 15 and Smith pulled down nine rebounds.

    Fayette committed 16 turnovers, which Hazleton converted into 23 points.

    On Jan. 16, the Lady Roaring Lions came back with a vengeance to defeat Penn State Brandywine 82-71 behind 21 points from Laurel Highlands alumnus Haley Moreland, 17 points by Smith and Haines, 12 points from Rudolph, and 11 points from Charleroi graduate Shannon Flament.

    Smith and Flament each grabbed nine rebounds, Moreland had a team high four assists, and Haines made three steals.

    Fayette's big advantage came in the third quarter, when the team built a 39-35 halftime edge into a 61-48 lead that held up against the visitors' 23-21 edge in the final 10 minutes.

    Fayette made 25 of 36 free throws to go with the team's five 3-point field goals and 21 conventional two point baskets.

    The Lady Roaring Lions were challenged several times in the game, but responded each time. Their biggest lead was 13 in the third quarter, while Brandywine never led by more than two points once in the first half.