Lady Lions Beats Southern Maine CC 63-49, Advances to National Championship

Uniontown, PA – The Penn State Beaver women's basketball team continues on its pursuit of winning the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) National Championship after defeating Southern Main Community College (SMCC) in the Semi Finals on Tuesday night.

Junior guard Diamond Thomas (Pittsburgh, PA) paced all scorers with a game high 16 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double with 9 boards.  Additionally, Junior forward Jimya Chambers (Phoenix, AZ) posted another double - double, with a score of 15 points, 12 steals, and 9 boards, just shy of a triple - double. However, it was the hustle and energy from Freshmen guard Kaitlin Gabbidon (Valley Stream, NY) that sparked the offense for the Lady Lions. In only 14 minutes of play, Gabbidon scored a career high of 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals off the bench.

Beaver came out aggressive and forced 7 turnovers to start the game and held SMCC to only 8 points. Beaver led 12 – 8 heading into the second. The second quarter was all the Lady Lions, as they played their most dominant quarter of the game, outscoring SMCC  21- 11 to build a lead of 14 heading into the half. Sophomore Guard Emily Keener (Utica, OH) made a layup at the buzzer to extend the lead at the half.

While Beaver held a comfortable lead for majority of the game, SMCC fought back and outscored the Lady Lions 17-11 in the third quarter to cut the lead to eight (44-36).

Within the last 6 minutes of play, defensive pressure, foul shooting, and offensive boards ensured the victory for the Lady Lions as they outscored their opponents 19-13. A defensive rebound and block by sophomore forward Mikayla Womer (Jackson Center, PA) sealed the victory down the stretch for the Lady Lions, 63-49.