Penn State Beaver Captures Women's Basketball Title in Thrilling Overtime Victory

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State Beaver won an instant classic on Saturday night in the Bryce Jordan Center, capturing the 2024 PSUAC Women's Basketball Championship with a 75-69 overtime win over Penn State Lehigh Valley. The win also cemented a perfect conference record during the regular and postseason for Beaver, finishing 19-0 in the regular season and 3-0 in the playoffs.

Beaver picked up its third title in the last four seasons, sending Lehigh Valley home from University Park with the runners-up trophy for a second straight season. Emery Black led all scorers  with 25 pioints and grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds for Beaver in a battle between two teams with a pressure-defense history. She was joined in double figures by Makitah Logan with 18 points.

Both teams struggled to score early, but picked up the pace late in the first quarter. Beaver led 16-9 after one, but Lehigh Valley used a strong second quarter to grab a 35-31 advantage headed into the half. Their four-point lead would hold at the end of the third as each team poured in 19 points. Gianna Torretta hit a three for Lehigh Valley to make it 62-56 midway through the fourth, but Beaver held Lehigh Valley to just two points the rest of regulation. Black, Alison Boykin and Caitlyn O'Hara each hit baskets to tie it at 62, but Torretta scored with 1:59 to make it 64-62. Boykin notched a bucket 30 seconds later to tie it and the teams traded missed shots and turnovers as the clock struck zero and sent the game to overtime.

In OT, Black and Claudia Siegfried gave Beaver their first lead since early in the first quarter with back-to-back baskets. Black added three free throws to stretch Beaver's lead and Lehigh Valley was unable to cut into the lead.

Both teams lived up to their high intensity defense, with Lehigh Valley forcing Beaver to turn it over 21 times and Lehigh Valley returning the favor 19 times. Lehigh Valley go more points off those turnovers, scoring 23. Lehigh Valley also led in points in the paint, 24-10, on the back of Hillary Offing, who finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Offing put up those numbers despite playing with foul trouble and fouling out early in the fourth quarter.

Penn State Beaver earns the PSUAC's automatic berth into the 2024 USCAA Basketball National Championships set for March 9-14 in Richmond, Va.