GA Women's Basketball Succumbs to Beaver, 113-83
Monaca, Pa. - Through a hard-fought and high-scoring battle, the Penn State Greater Allegheny women's basketball team fell to Penn State University Athletic Conference adversary, Penn State Beaver, Wednesday night, 113-83.
Monaca, Pa. - Through a hard-fought and high-scoring battle, the Penn State Greater Allegheny women's basketball team fell to Penn State University Athletic Conference adversary, Penn State Beaver, Wednesday night, 113-83.
Greater Allegheny freshman forward Tiajuanna Burke (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) was the first on the board with a layup and one as both junior guard Jess Manfredi (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Serra Catholic) and sophomore guard Mandi Johnston (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) followed her with a three-pointer a piece, 9-5 GA just three minutes into the game.
Manfredi rung another trey before Burke laid on two more points in the paint. Junior guard Tra-Esha Carswell (Homestead, Pa./Steel Valley) put down two from the foul line as Burke and freshman forward Andrea Burroughs (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) put up two points each. M. Johnston drained another three-pointer to give Greater Allegheny the lead after ten minutes of action, 23-20.
Burroughs and Burke both put on layups for the Lions as Beaver overthrew GA for the lead. Sophomore guard Tori Johnston (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) put up a layup before she pocketed a three-pointer, 34-32 Beaver. Burke added two from the foul line as Beaver went off on a serious swell. T. Johnston broke the silence with a layup as Burroughs and M. Johnston rode out the first half of action with free-throws, Beaver now in front a hefty 57-39 heading into halftime.
Burke completed a free-throw as M. Johnston and T. Johnston both added a bucket from the floor each. Burroughs, Manfredi and M. Johnston continued from the foul line as the Johnston girls dropped points from the field. Burroughs and M. Johnston put up points in the paint to send the two teams into the final quarter of action, Beaver ahead a staggering 84-59.
T. Johnston came out-of-the-gate with a pair of three-pointers as Carswell split them with a layup. Burke denoted points under the hoop before Manfredi drained a three herself, 98-72 Beaver with six minutes remaining in regulation.
T. Johnston put down two from the foul line as M. Johnston snapped wih a layup alongside points beyond the arc, 100-79. Carswell tacked on two from the foul line before T. Johnston capped off the Greater Allegheny scoring drive with a jumper, Beaver ahead 113-83.
With the 30 point win, Beaver advances to 11-1 in the PSUAC as they recorded five student-athletes in the double digits.
T. Johnston dropped 21 points, six boards, five assists and two steals while she dropped a trio of three-pointers as well as 100% (2-of-2) from the foul line. M. Johnston also capitalized on 21 points with three treys, 66.6% (4-of-6) of her shots going in from the foul line. Burke completed 50% (5-of-10) from the floor with 14 points, nine rebounds, an assist and a steal. Manfredi drained 13 points with seven assists, five boards and two steals.
As a team, Greater Allegheny was narrowly out-rebounded 34-32 as the ladies capitalized on 69.2% (18-of-26) of their shots from the foul line and 43.1% (28-of-65) of their shots from the floor. The team dropped 28 points in the paint with 16 points off turnovers. Turning the ball over 27 times would ultimately be their demise, as Beaver cashed in for 37 points.
Greater Allegheny (8-13, 4-7 PSUAC) will continue with PSUAC action on Friday, as the women are set to travel to Penn State Hazleton with the men for a conference double-header. The women are set to tip-off at 6 p.m.