Dec. 3, 2015
| 59 | 64 |
| Bryce Jordan Center | University Park, Pa. | Attn: 2897 | |
| POST GAME LINKS |
| Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF) |
| Quotes | Notes |
| Photo Gallery (PSU) |
| VIDEO: Coach Washington Postgame |
| FINAL STATISTICS |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: December 3, 2015 -- It was the first time this season the Penn State faithful left the Bryce Jordan Center without a victory, as the Penn State women's basketball team battled back from a 16-point deficit to tie the game at 44 early in the four quarter, before suffering a 64-59 setback to Virginia Tech in 2015 Big Ten/ACC Challenge Thursday, Dec. 3.
The loss marks the first in program history to Virginia Tech for the Lady Lions as they now hold a 3-1 all-time series record against the Hokies. Furthermore, Penn State falls to 2-7 all-time and 2-3 at the Bryce Jordan Center in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Sophomore Lindsey Spann (Laurel, Md.) led the Lady Lions (3-4) with a season-high 20 points, while Teniya Page (Chicago, Ill.) notched her seventh-straight double-digit scoring effort with 16 points for Penn State. Page also added a team-best seven rebounds and four assists to her stat line, while Kaliyah Mitchell (Stone Mountain, Ga.) pulled down six boards and Peyton Whitted (Suwanee, Ga.) had five.
For the seventh-straight game, the Lady Lions had 10-or-more assists, dishing out 12 helpers. Penn State also forced Virginia Tech into 23 turnovers, capitalizing on 19 points off turnovers.
Virginia Tech (6-1) had three players reach double-digits with Vanessa Panousis leading the way with 16 points, while Hannah Young had 13 and Chanette Hicks added 10. Young and Regan Magarity pulled down eight boards to lead the Hokies, while Hicks dished out six assists.
After exchanging baskets to start the game, the Lady Lions suffered four-straight turnovers, allowing Virginia Tech to get out to a 9-2 lead in the first quarter. Mitchell put an end to the Penn State scoring draught with a three-pointer before two free throws from Spann brought PSU within two with five minutes to play in the opening 10 minutes. The Hokies closed out the first quarter on an 11-5 run to take a 21-12 lead into the second quarter.
The Lady Lions came within eight of Virginia Tech in the second quarter, using eight-straight points from Spann. The sophomore guard allowed Penn State to head into the locker room trailing by just eight points, 29-21, with two baskets and four-straight free throws to close out the second quarter.
Coming out of the break, the two teams exchanged baskets, allowing Penn State to stay within single digits of the Hokies. The Lady Lions continued to chip away at the Virginia Tech lead with a Whitted jumper taking it to a seven-point deficit, 40-33, into a media timeout. Penn State used its second big run of the game, 9-4, to come within two of Virginia Tech, 44-42, heading into the final 10 minutes of action.
Penn State immediately knotted the score at 44-44 to open the fourth quarter after trailing for the entire game, but the Hokies answered back with a three-pointer to quickly regain the slight advantage. Virginia Tech responded to the Lady Lion's run with a 14-8 run of their own to take a 58-52 lead with 2:29 left to play in the game. Despite outscoring Virginia Tech 7-6 in the closing minutes, Penn State was unable to overcome the deficit falling 64-59 to the Hokies.
The Blue and White will be back in action Sunday, Dec. 6 when it travels to the Sunshine State for an afternoon contest against USF. Tipoff from the Sun Dome is slated for 3 p.m. and will be featured on CBS Sports Network and 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.