McKeesport, Pa. - As senior point guard Taylor Fulton (Duquesne, Pa./West Mifflin) went a perfect 16-for-16 from the charity stripe, she lifted the Greater Allegheny efforts as the women's basketball team overcame Penn State Beaver, 86-75.
Greater Allegheny jumped out to a quick 11-2 lead within the first three minutes. Fulton was the first to make a stand for the home team, as she bucketed a lay-up then a clutch three-pointer within the first minute of action. Junior guard Shelby Bendick (White Oak, Pa./McKeesport Area) knocked down a jumper before freshman forward Aaquila Youngblood (Pittsburgh, Pa./Obama Academy) two consecutive lay-ups.
Beaver managed a few before freshman forward Tenisha Gibson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Obama Academy) got into the mix. Bendick and Fulton dropped jumpers as Beaver closed the eight point swing. Freshman forward Nakayla Layne (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) closed both free-throw attempts as Fulton hashed another. Freshman guard Tra-Esha Carswell dropped five in three minutes to continue the GA swell, 30-18.
The final three minutes before halftime comprised of four Greater Allegheny offensive leaders. Bendick's free-throw sent the teams into halftime with GA ahead, 40-31.
Junior power forward Christina Floyd (Philadelphia, Pa./Saints Neumann-Goretti) added a lay-up to open the final twenty minutes of regulation. Greater Allegheny managed to score from all spots on the floor. Fulton, Floyd and Layne answered within the first five minutes, 52-43. Carswell added four as Fulton put up six to increase the GA lead, 66-50. Layne and Carswell put down jumpers as the minutes on the board wound down. The final four minutes answered to Fulton's wrath, as the powerhouse bucketed all 12 free-throws allotted. Beaver was able to add a few more to their final tally, but Greater Allegheny was just too much to overcome, as GA came out victorious, 86-75.
Fulton went a perfect 100% (16-for-16) from the free-throw line, as the senior guard dished out eleven assists next to her team-high 31 point stretch. Youngblood pulled down 14 rebounds, eight of them being offensive. She also dumped eight points to boost her team. Carswell denoted a season-best 16 points as she completed 70% (7-of-10) of her shots lofted from the floor. Bendick and Gibson brought down nine boards apiece, as they combined efforts for 15 total points.
As a team, Greater Allegheny allowed just two lead changes through the entire match-up as the home team's largest lead ballooned to 17 halfway through the second half. The women out-rebounded Beaver 57-38, assisting to the flex over the PSUAC adversary. 22 Beaver turnovers lifted GA's tally 27 points. Greater Allegheny's offense was expedited by the 30 points scored in the paint and 23 points added off the bench.
The women have their eyes on the prize, as they look to continue their good luck on Friday. Greater Allegheny women (10-7, 7-2) travel with the men for a Penn State University Athletic Conference match-up to Penn State Mont Alto. Women are set for tip at 6 p.m.
