Nov. 13, 2016
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's basketball team became just the 16th program in NCAA Division I women's basketball history to secure 900 wins with a 106-50 victory over Saint Peter's in the 2016-17 home opener at the Bryce Jordan Center Sunday, Nov. 13.
Penn State (1-1) is now 18-3 in its first game of the season at the Bryce Jordan Center, while head coach Coquese Washington improves to a perfect 10-0 in home openers.
The Lady Lion's got out to a fast start tying the most points in a quarter scored by a Penn State team taking a 39-12 lead after the first 10 minutes of play. The Blue and White also netted 39 points in the fourth quarter against Michigan on Jan. 17, 2016. Penn State continued to push the pace taking a comfortable 64-18 lead into the locker room at halftime, marking the first time that the Lady Lions had scored 60-or-more points in a half since Nov. 8, 2013 against Saint Francis.
Penn State reached the 100-point mark for the first time since Nov. 8, 2013 when the Lady Lions defeated Saint Francis 117-77. Moreover, the Blue and White kept a team to 50-or-less points for the first time since Dec. 20, 2015 when it held Sacred Heart to 46 points. Finally, the last time the Lady Lions earned a 50-point victory over an opponent was against Farleigh Dickinson, Dec. 12, 2012.
In just its second game of the season, the Lady Lions had five players reach double-digit scoring for the first time since Feb. 17, 2016 when five players scored 10-or-more points against Northwestern. Junior Lindsey Spann (Laurel, Md.) scored a career-high 31 points to break the 800-point plateau and pace the Lady Lions in their home opener. Spann went 4-for-7 from 3-point range and scored 20 of her 31 points in the opening half of play. Defensively, Spann had six of Penn State's 13 steals and dished out four assists.
Senior Kaliyah Mitchell (Stone Mountain, Ga.) had a milestone afternoon, scoring her 700th point and dishing out her 100th assist donning the Blue and White. Mitchell ended the game with 11 points and two assists to bring her career tally to 707 points and 101 helpers. Sophomore Teniya Page (Chicago, Ill.) scored her 500th-career point, tacking on 19 points to the Lady Lion win, while Peyton Whitted (Suwanee, Ga.) and Sierra Moore (Hanover, Pa.) scored 12 and 10 points, respectively. Finally, redshirt-freshman Amari Carter (Washington, D.C.) handed out a career-high nine assists.
As a team, Penn State shot 59.2 percent from the floor and 47.8 percent from 3-point range. The Lady Lions also went 11-for-13 from the charity stripe with Whitted connecting on four free throws and both Page and Moore going 2-for-2 from the line. Penn State kept Saint Peter's (0-1) to 29.5 percent shooting from the floor with Talah Hughes scoring a team-high 17 points and Janelle Mullen adding 10.
Turning Point
First quarter w/ 7:24 remaining
Kaliyah Mitchell's second 3-pointer of the game gave her 701 career points and extended Penn State's lead to double figures. From that point on, Saint Peter's was unable to get any closer than 10 points, while Mitchell ended the game with 11 tallies and pushed her career total to 707 points.
Difference Makers
Penn State
- G Lindsey Spann - Scored a career-high 31 points to account for her second career 30-point game. Connected on 13-for-18 shots from the floor and 4-for-8 from 3-point range. Added six steals, four assists and two rebounds.
- G Teniya Page - Scored 19 points, making three treys and going 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Had three assists and one steal.
- G Amari Carter - Had a career-high nine assists, scoring six points and grabbing one steal.
- F Kaliyah Mitchell and C Ashanti Thomas - Tied a team-high eight rebounds.
- Forcing Turnovers - The Lady Lions forced Saint Peter's into 20 turnovers which led to 24 points, while Penn State scored 36 of its 106 points on the fast break.
Saint Peter's
- G Talah Hughes - Scored a team-high 17 points, going 6-for-13 from the floor and 5-for-6 from the free throw line. Tied a team-high with five rebounds.
- G Janelle Mullen - Notched 10 points with two 3-pointers and two free throws. Had two assists and grabbed two boards. Recorded the Peacocks only three steals of the game.
By Quarter
First Quarter
The Lady Lions jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first three minutes of action, capped by a 3-pointer from Mitchell to mark her 700th-career point donning the Blue and White and forcing Saint Peter's to burn an early timeout. Penn State closed out the first 10 minutes of action on a 29-10 run that included five 3-pointers. Spann finished off the quarter with back-to-back treys for the Lady Lions to secure her 800th career point and tie a Penn State team record for most points in a quarter at 39.
Penn State 39, Saint Peter's 12
Second Quarter
Penn State continued to build on its lead in the second quarter, using four Saint Peter's turnovers in the first six minute to go on a 17-2 run and extend its lead to 58-17 with two minutes to play in the first half. The Lady Lions were just one-point shy of the points in a half record taking a 64-18 lead into the locker room after shooting 65 percent from the field and 64 percent from 3-point range in the opening half of action.
Penn State 64, Saint Peter's 18
Third Quarter
Saint Peter's came out of halftime looking to close the gap as it exchanged points with Penn State to open the half and force head coach Coquese Washington to call a timeout with 7:25 remaining in the quarter. Despite the exchanging of points, the Peacocks were unable to close the gap, trailing the Lady Lions 80-31 entering the fourth quarter.
Penn State 80, Saint Peter's 31
Fourth Quarter
Less than two minutes into the final quarter, Page reached the 500-point plateau with a layup off a pass from Spann to extend the Penn State lead to 85-31. The Lady Lion offense did not let up as Spann scored six-straight points in less than a minute to break the 100-point barrier and tie her career high with 31 points.
Penn State 106, Saint Peter's 50
Up Next
Penn State remains at the Bryce Jordan Center for a mid-week contest against the Zips of the University of Akron on Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. Season tickets and mini plans are available now by calling 1-800-NITTANY or visiting the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Fans who cannot make it out to the contest against the Zips can catch all the action live on the airwaves of the Penn State Radio Network.
Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery