| 84 | 58 |
| Bryce Jordan Center | University Park, Pa. | |
| POST GAME LINKS |
| Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF) |
| Quotes | Notes |
| Photo Gallery (PSU) |
| VIDEO: Coach Washington Postgame |
| FINAL STATISTICS |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Exhibition games serve a purpose on many levels; rules education, a measuring stick for players and coaches and an opportunity for fans to get a taste of what the season will bring. On Sunday (Nov. 1) inside the Bryce Jordan Center the Penn State Lady Lions used their exhibition opportunity to the fullest, defeating California (Pa.), 84-58.
Four Lady Lions ended the afternoon in double figures, led by a 20-point effort from senior Brianna Banks (Newnan, Ga.) and double-doubles from juniors Kaliyah Mitchell (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and Peyton Whitted (Suwanee, Ga.). Sophomore Lindsey Spann (Laurel, Md.) was the fourth Lady Lion to reach double figures, scoring 12 points.
Freshman Teniya Page (Chicago, Ill.) handed out a game-high 10 assists, while fellow rookie Ashanti Thomas (Lexington, Ky.) had eight points, five rebounds and a game-high three blocked shots.
All 11 available Lady Lions saw time on the court in the game with nine finding the scoring column.
Mitchell wasted no time getting into the swing of the new four quarter format, securing a double-double with 6:07 left in the second quarter. Her 14 rebounds led all players, while adding 15 points. Whitted hauled in 10 rebounds to go along with 16 points for her double-double.
Banks was an efficient 8-of-14 shooting from the floor and connected on 4-of-5 free throws. She added six rebounds, four assists and two steals in the game. Page added seven points and six rebounds to her 10-assist performance.
It was also a homecoming for Cal (Pa.) head coach Jess Strom, who was coaching versus her alma mater for the first time. Strom is a member of the Lady Lions' 1000-point club and led the Vulcans to the 2015 NCAA Division II National Championship. Head coach Coquese Washington and the Lady Lion team honored Strom prior to the game on the court for her team's accomplishment last season.
Miki Glenn led all Vulcan scorers with 15 points.
The first quarter featured two ties and one lead change; with CalU taking the early 2-0 lead on a Precious Martin jumper. Banks notched the first points for Penn State and Mitchell followed with a layup to give the Lady Lions a 4-2 lead. The Vulcans tied things up at 7-7 with 5:29 to play in the opening quarter, but Penn State scored 14 of the final 21 points to take a 21-15 lead into the break.
Mitchell secured a double-double early in the second quarter pulling down her 10th rebound with 6:07 to go in the quarter. Penn State built its largest lead of the half at 14 points with 2:02 left in the second quarter on a Banks jumper. CalU closed the quarter with five of the final seven points to send the game to break at 39-28 in favor of Penn State.
Penn State outscored CalU 24-10 in the third quarter to open up a 25-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter, 63-38. Whitted led Penn State with six points, while Spann chipped in five during the third quarter.
The Lady Lions and Vulcans played the fourth quarter close, with Penn State owning a 21-20 advantage, Page handed out five of her 10 assists in the quarter and Banks recorded six points. Whitted pulled down three rebounds and added one assist, coming on a Leah Knizner (Greensburg, Pa.) layup with under one minute to play in the contest.
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