Senior Cheyenne Lopez holds the trophy aloft as the Lady Lions pose for a group photo after beating Central Maine Community College in the USCAA National Championship game. Penn State photo
The Penn State Beaver women’s basketball team defeated Central Maine Community College 79-61 on March 11 at Penn State Fayette to win the United States Collegiate Athletic Association national championship.
The Lady Lions were lead by senior Cheyenne Lopez scoring 17 points in the first quarter helping the Lady Lions reach a 25-19 lead at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, it was a back-and-forth affair with the Lady Lions leading 41-35 going into the half.
In the third, the Lady Lions’ defense put pressure on the Central Maine offensive attack and forced six turnovers along with 10 points scored by junior Diamond Thomas and assists by sophomore Alexis Cross that helped the Lady Lions keep the lead going into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, the Lady Lions defense still kept its pressure on Central Maine and was able to get key offensive boards from junior Jimya Chambers that led the Lady Lions to get more field goals and drain the clock.
For Coach Tim Moore, it was his second national championship win at Beaver and his first since he had just returned to the head coaching position this year. His previous championship win came in 2015.
“This national championship is by far my favorite,” said Moore, adding that the women were able to win due to a new offensive system he developed for the team at the beginning of the season.
“The girls didn’t have a good offensive system,” said Moore. The women were good last year, but once the new system was put in place, it allowed them to step up their attack, he said.
Moore also said he was proud of how the team stepped up when Lopez got hurt in the previous round against Southern Maine Community College the day before the championship.
In the semifinals on March 10, Thomas led the scoring with 16 points in a 63-49 win against Southern Maine. Chambers had a double-double with 15 points and 12 steals.
Beaver, the No. 1 seed heading into the tournament, began with a 62-51 win over Andrews University March 9 in which Cross led the scoring with 16 points.
Moore also gave praise to Thomas who was named the tournament’s most valuable player. He said she was the best leader in the program. Lopez said she was also very proud of the way Chambers stepped up for the team as a consistent leader in both points and rebounds.
“Chambers was the spark of motivation of the team when I was hurt,” said Lopez.
For Chambers, she said it was a fun and exciting time to win a national championship and watch Lopez, the lone senior, get to win it all after many years in the program.
“We wanted to win the national championship for Cheyenne,” said Lopez.
The Lady Lions will have many starters returning for next season.