SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – Junior forward
Sydney Clayton (Frederick, Md./St. John's) had 19 points and a game-high six blocked shots and freshman guard
Abby Beeman (Ridgely, W.Va./Frankfort) added 18 points and a career and game-high 14 assists to lead Shepherd (21-8) to an 81-59 win over Lock Haven (15-13) in first round action of the PSAC Women's Basketball Tournament at the Butcher Center on Monday evening.
Clayton connected on 8-of-10 shots with a 3-of-4 effort from the foul line. She added six rebounds and three assists. Beeman hit on 7-of-13 field goals with a 2-of-7 effort from three-point range. She was 2-of-2 from the line.
Shepherd had four players in double figures as junior guard Marley McLaughlin (Haymarket, Va./Battlefield) added 16 points and freshman guard Jordan Smith (Manassas, Va./Colgan) tossed in 12.
Marena Lonardi scored a game-high 20 points to lead the Bald Eagles. Jaynelle Robinson added 12 points and 15 rebounds, while Ahnera Parker scored 11 points.
Shepherd had a 41-24 lead at the half behind a 61.5 percent (16-26) first-half field goal percentage.
Shepherd shot 57.1 percent (32-56) from the floor with a 41.7 percent effort (10-24) from three-point range for the game. The Rams connected on 77.8 percent (7-9) of their free throws.
Lock Haven hit on 31.1 percent (23-74) from the floor with a 20 percent effort (5-25) from three-point range for the game. The Bald Eagles connected on 72.7 percent (8-11) of their free throws.
Lock Haven had a 45-32 rebounding edge. The Rams forced nine turnovers and committed seven. Each team had four steals.
The Rams return to action on Wednesday when they travel to face top-seeded Shippensburg in quarterfinal PSAC Tournament action. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m.
Notes: Shepherd 's 21 wins are the third-most in program history (2008, 24-7; 2015, 22-10) in program history … Beeman's 14 assists were two shy of the program record of 16 shared by Kari Lankford (twice in 2018-19) and Liz Vaughn (once in 1986-87) … the Rams improve to 14-3 at the Butcher Center this season … Clayton's six blocked shots tied a career-high effort … Beeman's double-double was her sixth of the year.
