Nov. 16, 2016
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State women's basketball team earned its second home win of the season with an 84-71 victory over the University of Akron Zips in a mid-week non-conference game at the Bryce Jordan Center Wednesday, Nov. 16.
The Lady Lions (2-1) improve to 7-0 all-time against teams from the Mid-American Conference and 4-0 at home against the current alignment of the Cleveland-based league. For the eighth time in 10 seasons, head coach Coquese Washington began the home portion of the schedule with a2-0 record.
Sophomore Teniya Page (Chicago, Ill.) recorded her 28th double-digit scoring effort, scoring 11 points in the first quarter and ending the night with a game-high 23 points. The sophomore guard drained five 3-pointers in the first half which are the most in one half since Maggie Lucas made six against Michigan State and March 9, 2013. Furthermore, Page notched the sixth 20-point scoring game of her career, adding a season-high seven assists and six rebounds to her stat line.
Senior Kaliyah Mitchell (Stone Mountain, Ga.) recorded the first Lady Lion double-double of the season and eighth of her career with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while junior Lindsey Spann (Laurel, Md.) picked up the 12th 20-point effort of her career and second of the season, tallying 21 points for the Blue and White against Akron.
As a team, Penn State forced 16 turnovers, turning those into 29 points, and had 10 steals with Spann grabbing a team-high three on the night.
Akron (1-1) was led by Hannah Plybon who recorded her second-straight 20-point effort of the season with a team-best 22 points, while Alex Ricketts scored 14, Megan Sefcik had 11 and Greta Burry rounded out the double-digit scoring efforts with 10 points on the night.
Turning Point
4:03 left in the second quarter
Mitchell started a 9-0 run for Penn State, draining two free throws. The Lady Lions used the free throws as a spark to 17-5 scoring run to close out the half and take a 10-point lead into halftime. Penn State never relinquished the lead, even though Akron came within two late in the fourth quarter.
Difference Makers
Penn State
- G Teniya Page -- Led Penn State with 21 points, including 11 in the first quarter, while dropping five 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes of action. Page also dished out seven assists and had six boards.
- G Lindsey Spann -- Recorded her second-straight 20-point game with 21 points on the night.
- F Kaliyah Mitchell -- Clinched the first Lady Lion double-double of the 2016-17 season and eighth of her career with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Also went 7-for-8 from the charity stripe to lead Penn State and tie a career-high for makes and attempts in a game.
- Points Off Turnovers -- The Lady Lions committed just eight turnovers in the contest, while forcing Akron into 16 turnovers and scoring 29 points off of Zip miscues.
Akron
- G Hannah Plybon -- Scored a team-high 22 points going 9-for-21 from the floor and making four 3-pointers.
- G Alex Ricketts --Was among four Zips to reach double-digits in scoring with 14 points and added seven rebounds
- F Alli Ball --Grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, seven of which were defensive
- G Megan Sefcik --Had 11 points for the Zips, nine of which came from beyond the arc
By Quarter
First Quarter
Akron got out to a quick 7-2 lead over the Lady Lions, but a jumper just inside the arch, a steal on the opposite end of the court and two free throws from Amari Carter (Washington, D.C.) brought Penn State within one with 7:06 left in the first quarter. The Blue and White took its first lead of the game minutes later when a blocked shot from Peyton Whitted (Suwanee, Ga.) led to two more Penn State free throws, which was followed by a fast break trey from Page. The Lady Lions closed out the quarter on a 16-10 run to take a seven-point lead into the second quarter.
Penn State 26, Akron 19
Second Quarter
Akron used a 12-0 run to open the second quarter and take the lead for the second time in the contest going up 31-28 over the Lady Lions. After a 5:23 scoring draught, Penn State found its first points of the quarter when Mitchell made two shots from the charity stipe which would spark a 17-5 scoring run to close out the half.
Penn State 46, Akron 36
Third Quarter
The two teams exchanged baskets in the third quarter with Penn State maintaining a narrow four-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes of action. Spann and Mitchell joined Page in double figures, scoring 13 and 12 points respectively through three quarters of play against the Zips.
Penn State 65, Akron 61
Fourth Quarter
Penn State worked its way to an 11-point lead, 80-69, after a jumper from Page with 2:38 remaining in the quarter, forcing Akron to call a timeout after a turnover and a foul on its next possession. The Lady Lions continued to push the pace of the game coming away with an 84-71 victory.
Penn State 84, Akron 71
Up Next
Penn State concludes its short three-game home slate on Sunday, Nov. 20 against the Lady Volunteers of Tennessee. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. inside the Bryce Jordan Center. Fans who cannot make it to the game can catch all the action live on the Big Ten Network and on the airwaves of the Penn State Radio Network.