Lady Lions fall to Fayette

By: Ross Turetsky, Penn State Scranton Athletics

After starting off the season with a dominant 3-0 undefeated record, the Penn State Scranton Lady Lions basketball team dropped their second straight contest, both in league play, this time by a 78-43 decision to their visiting conference rival Penn State Fayette on Friday night. After this tough defeat, their first loss on their home court this season, Scranton sees their overall record move to 3-2 and they are now 0-2 in their crucial league play schedule so far during their young 2025-2026 hoops campaign.

The road warriors from Fayette got off to an electric start and never looked back, as they outscored the Lions from Scranton by a robust 27-8 margin in the first quarter, Scranton outpaced them 18-16 in the second period, before Fayette outscored the hometown Lions 22-8 in the third stanza, and 13-9 in the fourth and final frame to ensure their commanding 35 point triumph by game's end.

Scranton had just one lone player score in double figures in the battle, as stand-out sophomore Karma Paez tallied a team-high 11 points on 4-17 shooting, making a pair of her shots from downtown, to go along with a rebound, an assist, and a steal to boot while playing in all 40-minutes of the ball game. Honorable mention also goes to a trio of Lions who nearly scored in double digits in the contest, as senior guard Inayah Muhammad and sophomore forward Autumn Koch both tallied nine points, and sophomore Anaja Jackson almost had a double-double with her rock solid eight points and nine boards during the festivities.

Meanwhile, Fayette had a hat trick of players put up stellar double digit scoring performances on the evening, as senior guard Heaven Grumm, freshman forward Savannah Walls, and junior guard Reagan Rudder set the pace offensively for their squad. Grumm recorded a game-high 33 points on a lights out 14-17 shooting from the field, going a lethal 5-6 from three point land, while collecting eight rebounds, a quartet of assists, and a steal for good measure in her 37-minutes of hard work. Walls nearly had a double-double as well with her top notch 17 points and nine boards, shooting a red hot 8-12 from the floor, while dishing out a couple of assists, and a steal in her 40-minute effort. Last but certainly not least, Rudder had a solid 15 points on 4-7 shooting, going 2-3 from long distance range, making 5-7 from the charity stripe, to go along with her six rebounds, four assists, and a steal in her 27-minutes on the court.

Now head coach Troy Jackson Jr. and his 3-2 Penn State Scranton Lady Lions basketball team will look to bounce right back from this defeat and snap their mini two game losing streak when they next host league foe Penn State Beaver this Saturday afternoon with a scheduled 1pm tip-off start time. Meanwhile, head coach David Sturm and his red hot 4-1 Penn State Fayette hoops squad, who are now a flawless 2-0 in league play, will look to extend their winning streak to five straight games when they next travel on the road to face off against conference rival Penn State Hazleton this Saturday afternoon in a 1pm matinee tilt.