McKeesport, PA. – The 2018-2019 season was a historic year for the Penn State Greater Allegheny Women’s Basketball team, making the Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) playoffs for the first time since the 2013-2014 season. The team finished 15-7 overall and 11-4 in PSUAC play tying the program record for wins in a season and fell just one win short of the program record for conference wins.
As they turn the calendar to 2019-2020, many of the same stars from last season are back, mixed with a group of freshmen who are ready to make their presence felt immediately. With the team coming under new leadership this season, it will be up to the veterans to make their presence felt and lead this year’s crew back to the playoffs.
All three pieces of PSUGA’s dominant offensive attack last season are back. Seniors Teaira Hartley (East Stroudsburg, PA./East Stroudsburg North HS) and Jayla Ellis (Pittsburgh, PA./Woodland Hills HS) and junior Tina Clybourn (Pittsburgh, PA./Brashear HS) put up career numbers for PSUGA a year ago and look to duplicate those efforts in 2019-2020.
Clybourn was the leader of the pack putting up a career-high 380 points while averaging just under 15 points per game. Clybourn’s efforts helped her finish eighth in the conference in scoring and ninth in points per game. A big part of Clybourn’s success was her ability to hit from beyond the arc as she led the conference with 84 three-pointers made during the year.
It was that three-point ability that helped Clybourn permanently write her name in the PSUGA record books in a game against PSU-Scranton on January 18th, 2019. She racked up nine three-pointers in the game to break the PSUGA Women’s Basketball single-game record, breaking the old mark by two.
Helping to set up Clybourn was Hartley, who transferred from Lackawanna last season and had a career year posting 129 assists. She led the PSUAC in assists last year and was nine assists better than the next closest player. Hartley brought championship experience to PSUGA and was one of the catalysts to last year’s playoff run.
Hartley set new career-highs in almost every single offensive category posting 315 points and 194 rebounds to go along with her assist numbers. She finished in the top-15 in the conference in all three of the major statistical categories and is setting herself up to cap off her senior year as one of the best in her collegiate career.
Jayla Ellis rounds out the top three for PSUGA and, despite playing through some injuries, managed to put up career-best offensive numbers. She was the third-leading scorer for PSUGA finishing with 262 points and 10.5 points per game. As the longest-tenured PSUGA Women’s Basketball player, Ellis will provide the veteran leadership that many of the new girls will need throughout the season.
Women’s Basketball starts the regular season with three home games against non-conference competitors. PSUGA then starts conference play on November 22nd and will play three of their first five conference games on the road before heading into the semester break.
The PSUGA Women’s Basketball team tips off the 2019-2020 season on Monday, November 4th, when they take on Butler County Community College at 5 p.m. inside the Wunderley Gym.
