Greater Allegheny Women's Hoops Falters over Penn State Beaver, 81-64

McKeesport, Pa. - The Penn State Greater Allegheny women's basketball team ends their 2015 action with a 81-64 Penn State University Athletic Conference drop over Penn State Beaver, Friday night.

Sophomore guard Mandi Johnston (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) was first on the board for Greater Allegheny with a pair of layups of keep the tally at four. Junior guard Jess Manfredi (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Serra Catholic) took the narrow 7-6 lead with a made three-pointer as she kept the pace with the tally, marking another trey to put the game at a 10-9 Greater Allegheny advantage just four minutes into the game.

M. Johnston dropped another two before sophomore guard Tori Johnston (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) made two from the foul line. Freshman guard Brianna Williams (Pittsburgh, Pa./Univeristy Prep) cashed in a layup to move GA ahead of Beaver 16-11. M. Johnston added a free-throw point as Beaver overcame the Lion lead, 19-17 visitors. Greater Allegheny was held to those 17 points while Beaver escalated their tally to 31. Sophomore forward Morgan McCallister (North Huntington, Pa./Norwin) added a point from the free-throw line as M. Johnston marked a layup, 31-20 at the end of the first quarter.

Williams marked a jumper quickly in the second quarter as M. Johnston followed up with a three-pointer, cutting the deficit to eight. M. Johnston accounted for the next seven points while T. Johnston put up two from the free-throw line, sending the two teams into halftime Beaver leading 49-34.

T. Johnston added five points quickly as McCallister drained a free-throw point. M. Johnston racked up four more points as freshman guard Chelsy Ware (Pittsburgh, Pa./Imani Christian Academy) laid on points in the paint, sending the two teams into their final ten minute bout with Beaver leading by a landslide, 72-46.

Manfredi came out and roped a three-pointer as M. Johnston took ten points to the hole herself. T. Johnston made a jumper to bring the game to 74-61 with just five minutes to play. Ware noted a layup before sophomore guard Laura Vazquez Diaz (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Cupey Maria Montessori) put up the final point of the game from the foul line, moving Beaver to the 81-64 victory.

M. Johnston dropped a team high 33 points with eight rebounds, two assists and one block. T. Johnston roped eleven points for GA while noting six assists, two steals and a rebound. Burroughs assisted her team with 12 rebounds while Manfredi posted nine points.

As a team, Greater Allegheny was narrowly out-rebounded 48-45. GA marked 23 buckets from the floor while putting up 66.7% (14-of-21) from the foul line. The point of demise came to turnovers, as Beaver capitalized 30 points on 27 Lion turnovers. The ladies marked 22 points in the paint and 18 points off turnovers.

Greater Allegheny (3-8, 0-2 PSUAC) take an extended break for the holidays, and look forward to a new semester of PSUAC action. The ladies are set to travel with the men to continue their Penn State University Athletic Conference action. On Tuesday January 12, 2016, Greater Allegheny is set to travel to Penn State DuBois. The women are set for tip-off at 6 p.m.