State College, Pa. – With the semifinal round of the Penn State University Athletic Conference playoffs beginning tonight, the conference announced their 2018-2019 Women’s Basketball All-Conference list on Friday. Two different PSUGA players were honored as Tina Clybourn (Pittsburgh, Pa./Brashear HS) was named a first-team All-Conference West Division player while Teaira Hartley (East Stroudsburg, PA./East Stroudsburg North HS) earned All-Conference Honorable Mentions.
Both girls were essential in helping their team go from worst to first in 2018-2019. After finishing just 4-14 a season ago, PSUGA was able to turn things around and tie the single season win record in program history finishing 15-10 and 11-4 in conference play. Although their season came to an abrupt halt after a 77-70 loss to PSU-Fayette in the PSUAC Quarterfinal’s PSUGA still set themselves up for success now and for years to come.
It was a breakout year for Clybourn in her sophomore season earning her first ever all-conference honors. She more then doubled her scoring totals from her freshman year finishing with 380 points in 26 games played this season. She ranked fifth in the conference with her 380 points and ninth averaging 14.6 points per game this season. Clybourn was also one of the top three-point shooters in the entire conference finishing 84-284 (29.6%) from beyond the arc.
Hartley brought the veteran leadership that PSUGA was looking for after she transferred from Lackawanna. As the only PSUGA player with playoff experience, she passed her knowledge of the game on to her younger teammates. She also did well passing the ball itself finishing with a conference leading 129 assists, 19 more then the next closest player. She was second on PSUGA with 305 points in 26 games for an 11.7 ppg average.
Both Clybourn and Hartley played a big role in the PSUAC Quarterfinal match-up with Fayette scoring 10 and eight points respectively. However, they would both end up in foul trouble and fouled out of the game with over two minutes still left on the clock. While this season may not have gone as planned, PSUGA returns both players for the 2019-2020 season as they look to make their second straight playoff run.
As they head into the off-season, PSUGA will look to build on the positives and put the past behind them as they try and build a winning program for years to come.