Feb. 28, 2008
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - In a game that featured 18 ties and 16 lead changes, the Lady Lions (13-16, 4-13) gave a valiant offensive effort, but it was all for naught as #18/22 Ohio State (21-7, 12-5) handed Penn State a heartbreaking 87-84 loss Thursday night. The last three games at the Jordan Center between these two squads have been decided by a total of seven points. Senior guard Kam Gissendanner (Clairton, Pa.) carried the Lady Lions on their back with a season-high 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting in her final game at the BJC.
The Lady Lions, who shot 47.9% from the field, had four players in double figures for the first time since the win over Michigan on Jan. 20. Junior point guard Brianne O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added 17 points and three assists, while Janessa Wolff (Park Rapids, Minn.) posted her second career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, including eight caroms on the offensive end. Sophomore Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio) added 11 points, five rebounds and six assists, which ties her career high.
Jantel Lavender registered a double-double with 36 points, 16 rebounds and six assists to lead the Buckeyes. Her 36 points are the most points scored by an opposing player since Laracha Jones of Ohio State recorded 36 tallies on Jan. 25, 1998
The Lady Lions showed no signs of being a team on a losing streak as they came out firing in the first half and quickly established a three-point lead (11-8) on a three-point play by freshman Julia Trogele (Devon, Pa.) at the 15:25 mark. The Buckeyes responded with back-to-back baskets to move ahead by a single tally before another Trogele lay-up and a Mashea Williams (Erie, Pa.) free throw put Penn State in front again at 14-12 with 13:41 on the clock.
After an exchange of baskets, the Buckeyes retook the lead at 17-16 with just over 17 minutes left in the half on a Marscilla Packer three-pointer and Ohio State would build the lead to four points with just under 10 minutes left. The Lady Lions used a 5-0 run, which included a three-pointer by O'Rourke and two free throws by Wolff, to jump ahead by a 23-22 score with 7:37 on the clock.
The final seven minutes of the half produced an even exchange until Rashida Mark (Brooklyn, N.Y.) fouled Packer behind the three-point line with the game tied at 41-41 and nine seconds remaining in the half. Packer knocked down all three free throws to give the Buckeyes the 44-41 lead heading into the half.
The Lady Lions took advantage of the three-pointer in the opening frame, knocking down three shots from beyond the arc. Gissendanner led Penn State with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while O'Rourke added 10 tallies and three assists.
The second half brought more of the same pace with lots of offensive output on both sides. The Lady Lions struck first as Gissendanner's shot brought Penn State to within one just 10 seconds into the period. The squads exchanged baskets for the next several minutes until back-to-back buckets by Lavender gave Ohio State a 57-53 lead with just under 15 minutes left in the game, but the Lady Lions scored the game's next four tallies on lay-ups by Grant and Meredith Monroe (Olney, Md.).
The squads continued to swap offensive possessions until back-to-back three-pointers by Maria Moeller and two free throws by Lavender gave Ohio State an eight-point lead (69-61) with 10:45 to play. After a Wolff lay-up to cut the lead to six, Packer hit a pair shots from the charity stripe to make it a 71-63 game with just over 10 minutes left. A jumper by Williams sparked a 6-0 run to cut the lead to just two points (71-69) with 9:10 on the clock. O'Rourke and Wolff also contributed baskets for Penn State during the run.
The Buckeyes went back up by four points on a Lavender jumper before Penn State would complete the comeback and tie the game at 73-73 with back-to-back baskets by Gissendanner and Wolff at the 7:09 mark. Ohio State moved ahead by four again thanks to buckets by Lavender and Tamarah Riley, but there was no quit in the Lady Lions as Gissendanner hit a jumper with 6:06 remaining made it a 77-75 OSU lead. A pair of Lavender free throws and a jumper by Alison Jackson stretched it back out to six points (81-75).
Grant cut the deficit to four with 3:37 to go and on the ensuing possession, Lavender missed a pair of free throws giving Penn State the opportunity to move within a single point on an O'Rourke three-pointer with just over three minutes left. The Buckeyes scored the next four points of the game to move ahead 85-80 with 1:47 left, but Wolff's two free throws made it a two-point game (85-82).
With under a minute to play, Lavender put the Buckeyes ahead by five before a Williams lay-up sliced the deficit to three points (87-84. The Lady Lion defense was stout on the ensuing Ohio State possession and forced a turnover by Lavender with 14 seconds left. With time winding down, Gissendanner's three-point attempt fell short into the arms Meggan Quinn (Red Lion, Pa.), who flicked the rebound to O'Rourke, but her shot attempt did not get off before the buzzer.
The Lady Lions close out the regular-season at Indiana on Sunday, Mar. 2 at 4 p.m., before heading off to the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis. The Big Ten office will release the official bracket on Sunday, Mar. 2, following the day's final game.
GAME NOTES: Janessa Wolff scored a career-high 16 points and tied a career-high with 10 rebounds, last set on Dec. 28, 2007 against Iowa...Her 16 points and 10 rebounds marked her second career double-double...Wolff also set career-highs in made field goal attempts (10) and made field goals (6)...Mashea Williams tallied her 100th career steal...Williams also surpassed the 600-career point mark for her career...Tyra Grant tied a career-high with six assists, last set on Dec. 13, 2007 against Mississippi... Jantel Lavender's 36 points tonight marked the most scored by an opposing player since Laracha Jones of Ohio State recorded 36 tallies on Jan. 25, 1998...Penn State's 34 made field goals and 71 field goal attempts tonight were the most since the Lions tallied 37 made shots on 75 attempts against Northwestern on Jan. 22, 2006.