Beaver Loses Third Straight Game Against Penn State Lehigh Valley

By -- Khalia Adams

Monaca, PA -- The Penn State Women's basketball team played host to Penn State Lehigh Valley with the hope of bouncing back from a tough loss to Penn State Brandywine. Lehigh comes into the game undefeated, 7-0 in conference play, as Beaver looks to stop their run in this big matchup.

Beaver started the game with a 15 foot jumper by Mason Deperto (Pittsburgh, PA/ Cornell), but it wasn't enough to stop Lehigh form going on an early run. Despite Lehigh's lead, Beaver was able to cut the deficit down to two before the end of the first quarter thanks to the offensive efforts by Mia Mattes (Bethel Park, PA / Bethel ) and defensive efforts by Mason Depetro. The second quarter was a battle with back and forth scoring from both teams. Beaver found a way to get ahead with a jumper at the buzzer by Tara Mcfadden ( New Brighton, PA / New Brighton ), ending the half with a score of 35-32.

Coming off the bench for Beaver, Racheal Cummings ( Evans City, PA / Our Lady Of Sacred Heart ) brought a spark with her competitive defense and a couple of assists. Although Beaver played tough it wasn't enough to stop Lehigh's energy, as they seemingly scored at will for much of the third. The fourth quarter was all Lehigh Valley, as they dominated on the boards and on the offensive end. Lehigh never seemed to slow down as the game drew to a close, as they went on to hand Beaver their second conference lost by final score of 71-62.

The Lady Lions now sit at 11-6 overall, while dropping to 7-2 in the conference play with their loss to Lehigh. Beaver was led in this game by Mia Mattes, who finished with 18 points, and Asia Borders (Ellwood City, PA / Lincoln ) who grabbed 7 rebounds. The team will play next on Tuesday, January 24 at home against Ohio Valley. Game time is set for 6 pm.