Beaver Rides Defensive Intensity to Victory!

Uniontown, PA – Monday night, Beaver's Women's Basketball team defeated Andrews University to advance to the semifinals in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Playoffs.  

Alexis Cross's (Columbiana, OH) game-high of 16 points paced three PSU Beaver double- figure scorers and helped the Lady Lions improve their record and defeat Andrews University 62- 51 to move on to the semifinals in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Playoffs.

Along with Cross (Columbiana, OH), Chambers (Phoenix, AZ) chipped in 13 points, 6 steals, 5 assists and a game high of 9 rebounds. Additionally, Keener (Utica, OH) added 13 points and 6 steals.

Andrews University started the game with a 12-1 run within the first six minutes of play. With a sense of calm, composure, and poise, Coach Moore and the Lady Lions pushed forward with no timeouts or visible frustration. Sophomore Guard Cross (Columbiana, OH) broke the scoreless first six minutes with two layups to cause a shift in momentum for Beaver.  

Two aspects that became vital to the success of the Lady Lion's win was their presence on the defensive end and crashing the glass for offensive rebounds. Defensively, the Lady Lions created chaos and pressure with their full court press which set the momentum for much of the game. Beaver forced Andrews University to turn the ball over a total of 39 times and came up with up with 21 steals. Beaver capitalized off their defensive pressure, scoring 25 points off of turnovers. Chambers and Keener led with 6 steals a piece and Diamond Thomas (Pittsburgh, PA) followed with 5. Beaver continued to attack on the offensive end grabbing a total of 19 offensive rebounds, creating more second-chance scoring opportunities for the Lady Lions. As a result, the Lady Lion attempted 71 FGAs compared to Andrews 48 FGAs.

Throughout the next three quarters of play, the teams stayed relatively even with each other, trading baskets and lead changes. The largest lead of the game occurred at the best time for the Lady Lions as back to back three-pointers by Cross and Keener extended the lead to 12 points with 1:35 remaining. Clutch free throw shooting by Diamond Thomas, Cross, and Keener sealed the victory for the Lady Lions down the stretch. 

With their 62-51 win over Andrews University, the women's team continues on to the semifinals against Southern Main Community College (SMCC) in pursuit of bringing home a national championship title to Monaca, PA. They will face off tomorrow (Tuesday), March 10, 2020 at 3pm at Penn State Fayette.