Lady Lions claw their way to a win against University of Maine-Fort Kent
MONACA, Pa.–– The Penn State Beaver women's basketball Lady Lions opened the new year on a good note after willing their way to a second-half comeback against the University of Maine-Fort Kent Tuesday night, 68-61.
Junior guard Diamond Thomas (Pittsburgh/Carlynton) led the way for Beaver with 17 points, five points, forward three assists and two steals, followed by sophomore Jimya Chambers (Phoenix/Westview), who finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Sophomore guard Alexis Cross (Columbiana) and senior forward/center Cheyenne Lopez (Roswell/Goddard), both added on 11 points apiece.
The game went back-and-forth with the teams tying the score several times until only a minute and 37 seconds left in the quarter when the University of Maine-Fort Kent scored the final 5 points and held off the Lady Lions' scoring to put them down 17-12 at the end of the first. The Lady Lions weren't able to take the lead away in the second and were outscored 12-9 in the quarter to take a 29-21 deficit at halftime.
In the third, Beaver trailed by double-digits and then entered the final quarter down by 11 points (47-36). However, the Lady Lions fought back hard in the fourth with a 32-point quarter, outscoring the University of Maine-Fort Kent 16-4 in the final 3:40 minutes and gaining the lead on a free-throw by Lopez with only 46 seconds to go. The Lady Lions were able to fend off the University of Maine-Fort Kent from scoring again to take a 68-61 win for the night.
After tonight's win, Beaver improves to an 11-2 record overall. The Lady Lions will be back for a home PSUAC conference bout against Penn State Lehigh Valley this Friday, Jan. 17. The game begins at 6 p.m.