Dec. 20, 2015
| 83 | 46 |
| Bryce Jordan Center | University Park, Pa. | Attn: 3081 | |
| POST GAME LINKS |
| Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF) |
| Quotes | Notes |
| Photo Gallery (PSU) |
| VIDEO: Coach Washington Postgame |
| FINAL STATISTICS |
UNIVERSTIY PARK, Pa. --The Penn State women's basketball team earned an 83-46 win over the Pioneers of Sacred Heart to close out its 2015-16 non-conference slate at the Bryce Jordan Center Sunday, Dec. 20.
The Lady Lions (5-6) scored the first basket of the contest and never looked backin their 37-point victory over the Pioneers (2-7). Penn State was just the third team to score over 70 points on Sacred Heart this season, as opponents were averaging 67.1 points per game prior to this afternoon.
Sophomore Lindsey Spann (Laurel, Md.) led the Lady Lions with 23 points, marking her second 20-point effort of the season and sixth of her career. The sophomore also moved past the 500-career-point mark in the contest, ending the afternoon with 518 career tallies. Spann notched her eight career contest with at least five assists -- handing out five helpers vs. the Pioneers -- and grabbed her 100th rebound in the game.
Senior Brianna Banks (Newnan, Ga.) notched her fourth straight double-figure scoring game to reach the 500-career-point milestone, as well. Banks' 17 points pushed her career total to 507, while moving her over the 100-point plateau for her Penn State career.
The duo of Kaliyah Mitchell (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and Teniya Page (Chicago, Ill.) both reached double-digits in scoring, as well, marking the seventh time this season at least four Lady Lions reached 10 points in the same game.
For Mitchell, she posted her second double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. The 11 caroms moved her past the 400-career rebound mark, ending the afternoon with 404 career boards.
Page's 15-point, seven-assist effort marked the eighth time this season she posted at least 10 points and four assists in the same game. Her seven helpers tied a career-high, as she played 39 minutes in the contest.
Senior Candice Agee (Victorville, Calif.) recorded a season-high four blocks on the afternoon, just one shy of her career high and Peyton Whitted (Suwanee, Ga.) led the team in rebounds for the seventh time this season with 12 boards.
The Lady Lions forced 22 turnovers, scoring 24 points off of Pioneer miscues. Penn State committed just eight turnovers in 40 minutes of action, which ties a season-low. The Blue and White handed out 17 assists, which marks the 10th time this season with 10-or-more helpers, while Page matched a career-best seven assists and Spann tied a season-best with five helpers.
Sacred Heart shot 34.0 percent from the floor, going 18-for-53 and had two players reach double-digit scoring. Larae Ettienne led the Pioneers with 16 points, while Hannah Kimmel added 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
The Lady Lions jumped out to a 15-4 lead over the Pioneers, forcing five Sacred Heart turnovers and using six points from Banks. The Pioneers found a 6-0 run to come within five of Penn State, but a Sacred Heart foul with less than a second left on the clock would allow Penn State to take a 22-15 lead into the second quarter thanks to two free throws from Mitchell.
The Blue and White opened the second quarter on a 9-0 run before a Spann drive through the left side of the lane extended Penn State's lead to 33-18 heading into the media timeout. The Pioneers tried to chip away at the Lady Lion lead but a steal and fast break layup from Banks propelled the Penn State lead to 15 points, 39-24, with 1:02 left to play in the first half. Sacred Heart was able to find four final points in the closing minute, heading into the locker room trailing 39-28.
The Lady Lions shot 42.4 percent from the floor in the opening half and swiped 11 steals, scoring nine points off of turnovers and 10 fast break points. Banks and Spann led Penn State with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Page handed out five helpers in the opening 20 minutes, while scoring six points and Mitchell pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
The two teams exchanged baskets to open the second half of play before Spann scored five-straight, including three free throws, to give Penn State the 53-34 lead with 3:06 left to play in the third quarter. Spann later ended the quarter with a buzzer-beating layup off a pass from Page to give Penn State the 62-38 advantage with 10 minutes left in the contest.
Penn State continued to run the floor and build on its lead in the fourth quarter, while the Pioneers struggled to find a basket, suffering a 6:47 scoring drought. Sacred Heart found its final points of the quarter on an Ettienne layup under the hoop, but the Blue and White answered back with a three-pointer from Leah Knizner (Greensburg, Pa.) that allow Penn State to take the 83-46 victory.
The Lady Lions will take a short break before returning to the Bryce Jordan Center for a New Year's Eve affair when they open up Big Ten Conference play against Northwestern. Tip off for the Thursday, Dec. 31 contest is slated for 2 p.m. Fans who cannot make it to the game can catch it on BTN Plus or on the airwaves of the Penn State Sports Network.
Getting Social
Follow Penn State women's basketball on Facebook by clicking here or on Twitter by clicking here. Stay up to date with all of our 31 varsity programs on your favorite social media platforms by clicking here. You can also stay up to date with the women's basketball program on LadyLions.com.