Uniontown, PA - This Thursday, March 2nd, the #1 Lady Mustangs will take on #8 Penn State Fayette in only the second meeting between the two schools. The Roaring Lions, who are the host school for the USCAA National Tournament, enter the tournament with a 12-13 overall record after being ousted in the PSUAC quarterfinals.
Fayette is 10-8 since December 1st, with only one of their losses being by more than 10 points. They lost to PSUAC Tournament Champion, Penn State Brandywine, the #3 seed in the USCAA National Tournament, by only 3 point in the conference tournament quarterfinals. The Roaring Lions are led by PSUAC 1st Team All-Star, Taylor Smith, who averages a league-leading double-double, 18 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. Courtney Haines checks in at 4th in the PSUAC in scoring at 16.5 points per game. Haines and teammate Haley Moreland both earned PSUAC Honorable Mention All-Conference honors.
The last and only time CM and Fayette met was on February 28th, 2013, when the #8 Roaring Lions upset the #1 Lady Mustangs 86-78 in the opening round of the USCAA DII National Tournament.
According to Coach Morong, "Any time you have to play a team on their homecourt, especially one as talented as Fayette, this time of year, you are in for an uphill battle. They have a lot of size and length, and have played a very tough schedule. They are battle tested. We are not taking them lightly - I do not care what their overall record is, Fayette is a VERY good team that is capable of winning the whole tournament - especially with it being on their homecourt. They have one of the best players in the country at our level, and a great supporting cast in the starting lineup. Two of their top players are seniors, a luxury that we do not have. We are prepping diligently for this matchup, and will give them our best shot."
Currently the Lady Mustangs are staying at the Nemacolin Woodland Resort, and practicing on the campus of Penn State Fayette. The USCAA Skills Competition and All-American Banquet will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, February 28th. We will be broadcasting on Facebook Live during the Skills Competition which will feature Tianna Harriman (Auburn, ME) in the 3-point contest, and Jenny Schlim (Nottingham, NH) & Nicole Hamblin (Fayette, ME) in the other contest.
