Lady Knights can’t keep up with Cheyney on Senior Night

By Paul Miller

Knightly News Co-Adviser

paulmiller@centralpenn.edu

The Central Penn College Lady Knights fell to the Cheyney University Wolves on Wednesday for Senior Night, 69-59, coming up just short in their final home contest of the year.

Before the game, two Knights were honored for their athletic achievements at Central Penn. First, Brandi Swinton was recognized for her final season as a two-sport athlete, also playing on the soccer team. Then, Sidney “Flash” Green was given recognition for her efforts over the past four seasons for the Lady Knights. Both players had the opportunity to welcome their families to the floor, posing for pictures and reflecting about their time at Central Penn.

When the game tipped off, it was a defensive battle early. The Knights trailed over the first couple of minutes, though an Allison Yoder layup about two minutes in tied the game, 8-8. Down the stretch in the first quarter, Cheyney added a couple of baskets, highlighted by a Zya Washington 3-point play to end the quarter up by seven.

In the second quarter, Cianna Roberts began to take over, hitting a key 3-pointer early in the frame. Later in the quarter, Roberts came up with a big steal and coast-to-coast layup to extend Cheyney’s lead to 10, 24-14.

Later in the quarter, Roberts caught fire, hitting another two 3-pointers, one with about three minutes left and one with under a minute left. This offensive barrage allowed Cheyney to extend their lead, going into the half up 43-20.

Even down by a considerable margin, the Knights did not give up in the second half. Yoder set the tone for Central Penn, scoring five points and grabbing four rebounds in the third quarter alone. Later in the quarter, Jayla Pearson hit a layup, which was followed up by a Nyree Roberson-Waters 3-pointer, keeping the Knights in the game.

In the fourth, the Knights continued to grind. Cayla Thomas stepped up, hitting several key shots in the final quarter. Everyone contributed, including two clutch free throws from Swinton in her final home game.

The Knights outscored Cheyney 25-10 in the final quarter, but the game had gotten away from them in the second half. Even with an exciting final few minutes, the Knights fell 69-59 to the Wolves.

The Weis Knightly News Player of the Game was Thomas, with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals. Yoder, who played all 40 minutes, had 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Roberson-Waters added 10 points and 12 rebounds.

For Cheyney, Roberts was the story, having 33 points on 6-of-8 shooting on 3-pointers, adding seven rebounds.  Taniyah Finney had 12 points and four steals.

It was a bittersweet home finale for the Knights, hoping for a great send-off to the seniors. Still, the second half provided a spark to the Knights, who take their 6-10 season record on the road to Bucks County Community College on Feb. 22 at 1 p.m. for the 2024-25 season finale.