PSUGA Women Drop First Conference Game vs. Beaver
The PSUGA Women's Basketball team dropped their first conference game of the season to PSU-Beaver on Monday night 70-47. Jayla Ellis started the year on a good note with 14 points but PSUGA could never recover from a slow start.
Monaca, PA. – The Penn State Greater Allegheny Women’s Basketball Team (6-7, 4-1) dropped their first Penn State University Athletic Conference game if the season on Monday to Penn State Beaver (10-2, 5-0) 70-47. A slow start from the PSUGA offense hurt them and they were never able to recover falling and dropping to second place in the PSUAC West Division.
After averaging 76.0 points per game in their three previous contests before the break, PSUGA could not find their footing early. After taking a 2-0 lead early in the quarter, Beaver would go on 8-0 and 7-0 to open the scoring to 15-4. PSUGA was able to score just two more points before quarters end and were trailing 22-6 after one.
PSUGA was once again held to single digits in the second quarter scoring just eight points and headed into halftime trailing 38-14. The offense was looking for something to spark them and help get them back in the game. They would turn to their first half leader Tearia Hartley (East Stroudsburg, PA./East Stroudsburg North HS) to help turn things around.
After PSUGA gave up the first six points of the quarter, it would be Hartley that helped them get back on track hitting back-to-back layups that brought the score to 48-20 with 5:56 left in the third quarter. PSUGA eclipsed the double digit mark in the quarter and found themselves down 61-30 entering the final 10 minutes of play.
PSUGA would put up their biggest offensive output of the night scoring 17 in the quarter, eight from junior Jayla Ellis (Pittsburgh, PA./Woodland Hills HS), and the defense was able to hold Beaver to just nine points. However, it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback and PSUGA fell for the first time in conference play this season.
Ellis started out 2019 on a high note with a team leading 14 points in the game while Hartley finished as the only other PSUGA player in double digits with 11 points on the night. Lexus Santiago (Pittsburgh, Pa./Imani Christian Academy) led the defense with a career high 15 rebounds while grabbing one assist on the day.
With the loss, PSUGA now falls to 4-1 in PSUAC play and sits in second place in the PSUAC West division to start the second half of the season. With another matchup looming in February, PSUGA will have another shot to dethrone PSU-Beaver on the road to the PSUAC Playoffs.
First, PSUGA will have to get ready for action against PSU-Fayette when they return home on Wednesday at 6 p.m.