WBB falls; showdown for first set

Heading into its Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) game at Penn State Shenango Monday night, Penn State Fayette knew it would be shorthanded and head coach Scott Hillen sensed his team would have its hands full.

Playing without its leading scorer Taylor McCormick (Laurel, MD/Eleanor Roosevelt HS), Fayette (15-7 overall, 13-5 PSUAC) never led as it struggled offensively from the start and fell, 67-47.

"We didn't have our leader and best player, and it showed," Hillen said. "We started off slow and didn't play well in the first half.  We had no firepower to come back, but we did show some heart in the second half.  We just fell too far behind in the first quarter and could not recover.  We just were not ready."

McCormick, who is averaging a PSUAC-best 20.7 points per game, had to attend a mandatory function for her major on campus and did not make the trip.

Fayette struggled from the floor in every facet of the game as it shot 23.0 percent (17-74) overall, 11.5 percent (3-26) from three-point land and 58.8 percent (10-17) from the line.  Shenango (10-11, 10-9) didn't shoot well either (25 of 70 overall, 35.7 percent), but it played well enough to win.

Shenango's biggest advantage over Fayette was in the paint, 36-10. 

Ally Boykin (Canton, OH/Canton McKinley HS) led Fayette with 20 points, although it took her 25 field goal attempts to hit her total.  Abby Bickerton (Elizabeth, PA/Elizabeth Forward HS) finished with a double-double as she scored 10 points and had 10 rebounds while Morgan Rigsby (West Portsmith, OH/West Portsmith HS) finished with a team-high 11 rebounds.

Fayette sits tied with Penn State Beaver (15-7, 13-5) atop the PSUAC West division, and the teams will play a winner-take-all game at Beaver Thursday.  Fayette won the first game between the two on January 22, 76-61.  Fayette has won 13 of its last 15 games while Beaver has won 10 of its last 11, with the lone loss being to Fayette.

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