WBB comeback falls short against GA

Lemont Furnace, PA - Down by as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter to visiting Penn State Greater Allegheny Tuesday night, the Penn State Fayette women's basketball team fought valiantly and cut the deficit down to four points, but it would get no closer in a 69-59 Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) West division matchup.

Greater Allegheny (GA), known for playing a fast-paced style of play, forced its tempo on Fayette.

"We played right into their hands and played their game," Fayette coach Scott Hillen said. "We just were not ready (for that style of play)."

Down 59-41 with 5:13 to play, Fayette went on an 18-4 run and only trailed 63-59 with 0:45 to play, but a quick four-point burst in seven seconds for GA put the game away.

Taylor McCormick (Laurel, MD/Eleanor Roosevelt HS) continued her solid start to Fayette's season as she scored 22 points to share game-high honors with GA's Tomisha Pierce.  McCormick made six of her 11 shot attempts and hit 10 of her 13 free throw attempts.  Six games into her second season, she is averaging 19.5 points per game.

Morgan Rigsby (West Portsmith, OH/West Portsmith HS) added a career-high 17 points and a game-high nine rebounds while Alison Boykin (Canton, OH/Canton McKinley HS) had 10 points and had a game-high three steals.

Fayette (2-4 overall, 1-3 PSUAC) shot a higher percentage for the game, 42.3 percent to 41.9 percent, but GA (6-6, 4-1) made four more shots (26 of 62) than Fayette (22-52).  GA made five of 24 three-point attempts (20.8 percent) while Fayette missed all four of its attempts.

Both teams scored 30 points in the paint while GA held the advantage in bench points, 22-16.  Fayette turned the ball over 18 times, compared to GA's 21 giveaways.

Fayette now has a couple of days to gear up for a double header at home this weekend as it hosts Penn State Wilkes-Barre Friday (6 p.m. tip) and Penn State Scranton Saturday (1 p.m. tip).

For more information on the women's basketball team, go to https://www.psfathletics.com/sports/wbkb/index or follow us on Instagram @fayetteathletics.