WBB split pair; tied for PSUAC West lead

The Penn State women's basketball team finds itself tied atop the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference's (PSUAC) West division thanks to a split in a pair of road games over the weekend.

"We have to keep getting better," said Fayette coach Scott Hillen.  "We have quite a stretch off, but we can definitely improve and have to get ready for the stretch run."

Friday night, the women saw their season-long three game winning streak snapped at undefeated Penn State York (11-0 overall, 6-0 PSUAC), 54-46.  The final score was not indicative of how tight the game was as there were 12 lead changes and three times.

After trailing 9-8 after the first quarter, Fayette led 22-21 at the half and 36-34 heading into the fourth.  But then York hit all three of its three-pointers in the decisive frame, it took 15 in the game, while Fayette missed all eight of its attempts from beyond the arc.

"We had a good effort tonight, but we made too many mental mistakes," said Hillen.  "We need some people to step up besides the normal players.  We missed too many layups and while (York) didn't hit any three's until the fourth quarter, they made them when they had to and it killed us."

Morgan Rigsby (West Portsmith, OH/West Portsmith HS) continued her dominance inside as she finished with 14 points and 18 rebounds.  Taylor McCormick (Laurel, MD/Eleanor Roosevelt HS) and Ally Boykin (Canton, OH/Canton McKinley HS) also hit double figures for Fayette with 15 and 10 points, respectively.  Chantelle Gross and Nicole Sharpe led York with 13 points each.

Fayette shot 35.5 percent (18-51) from the field while York shot 39.6 percent (19-48).  Both teams had 14 turnovers while York led in rebounds (34-27) and assists (17-7). 

Saturday afternoon, Fayette (6-5, 5-3) got back on the winning track as it won at Penn State Mont Alto (4-6, 2-5), 50-40.

"This was a great team effort," Hillen said of Saturday's win.  "We adjusted well in the second half and stopped what they wanted to do.  The girls rebounded well and our team defense was great."

McCormick finished with 18 points while Abby Bickerton (Elizabeth, PA/Elizabeth Forward HS) recorded her first double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.  Rigbsy grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.  Mariah Martin scored a team-high 10 points for Mont Alto.

Down 15-12 after one quarter and 25-24 at the half, Fayette used a 10-5 advantage in the third to take a 34-30 lead into the fourth, and a 16-10 advantage in the fourth secured the road win.

Neither team shot well as Fayette shot 29.7 percent (19-64) while Mont Alto shot 29.0 percent (18-62).  Fayette's biggest advantage was a 24-11 points off turnovers edge.

With the win, Fayette is now tied atop the West with Penn State Greater Allegheny (7-8, 5-3).

Fayette is off until Friday, January 14 for the first of four games over six days when it hosts Penn State Shenango.  The game is the first of six straight home games through Saturday, January 22.  Fayette does not go back on the road until Saturday, January 29.

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