Penn State Schuylkill Women's Basketball defeated Penn State Lehigh Valley 53-45 in the PSUAC Championship Game at Penn State University's Bryce Jordan Center.
Back-to-Back 3-pointers by Nadia King (Harrisburg, PA / Susquehanna Township High School) and Tajae Stevenson (Patterson, NJ / International High School), respectively, gave Schuylkill a 20-7 lead with 7:49 to go in the second quarter.
Out of a timeout, Lehigh Valley went on a 14-0 run to take a 21-20 lead with 52 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Schuylkill regained the lead on a 3-point make by Stevenson in the final seconds of the half. Schuylkill entered the second half with a 23-21 advantage over Lehigh Valley.
Lehigh Valley took a 34-33 lead following a made free throw with 2:46 remaining in the third. Three consecutive Schuylkill baskets late in the quarter gave them a 39-35 lead heading into the final quarter of play.
Schuylkill's defense held Lehigh Valley to just 10 percent (2-19 shooting) from the field in the fourth quarter. A made basket by Allison Crockett (Liverpool, PA / Greenwood High School) with 2:57 remaining in regulation gave Schuylkill their biggest lead of the second half at 50-43. Schuylkill was able to execute late as they went on to win their first PSUAC Championship in school history.
Stevenson and King finished with 14 points each. Stevenson and Kassidy Ingram (Abington, PA / Trinity High School) led the team with 8 rebounds each.
Schuylkill (25-8 overall) will take on Miami-Hamilton in the quarterfinal round of the USCAA Division 2 National Tournament on Tuesday, March 14th.
