Dec. 18, 2016
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The bench came to life for the Penn State women's basketball team, scoring 29 points and sophomore Teniya Page (Chicago, Ill.) dropped in 30 points in a 70-65 victory over American University on Sunday, Dec. 18 at the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Lady Lions (9-2) improve to 6-0 in the friendly confines of the BJC, marking the fifth time in the Coquese Washington era that they have started a home campaign with a perfect 6-0 record. The win also pushed the team's winning streak to five games, the longest win streak for the program since winning six-straight games from Jan. 16-Feb. 2, 2014.
Freshman De'Janae Boykin (Springdale, Md.) made her first career appearance for the Lady Lions after sitting out the first 10 games due to NCAA transfer rules. The freshman forward netted the first points of the game for Penn State with 5:09 left in the first quarter and ended her first appearance donning the Blue and White with 10 points, including a layup that would give Penn State the final lead it needed to secure the win. Boykin also tied a team-best six rebounds and had one assist in 24 minutes of work.
Page notched double-digit scoring for the sixth-straight game and 10th time this season, scoring 10 points in the first half, before finishing with 30 points in the contest. In the fourth quarter, Page notched her 20th point of the contest on a free throw to mark her fifth 20-point game of the 2016-17 season and 11th of her career.
Finally, Page's 30-point performance marked the third time the sophomore guard has scored 30-points in a game for the Lady Lions, going an impressive 15-for-17 from the free throw line and 7-for-15 from the floor while adding three rebounds and three assists. The sophomore guard joins Kelly Mazzante as the only two Lady Lions to notch three 30-point games before the end of their sophomore seasons.
Sophomore Ashanti Thomas (Lexington, Ky.) and freshman Jaida Travascio-Green (Lisle, Ill.) added nine points apiece for the Lady Lions with Thomas going 3-for-4 and Travascio-Green going 4-for-5 from the floor. Thomas scored seven of her nine points in the final three minutes, including a put back under the net to give Penn State a four-point lead with 1:30 left to play. Thomas' nine points tie her career-high, which she set earlier this season at Holy Cross.
The Penn State bench was crucial in the victory, as five players contributed 29 points. Boykin led the way with 10 points, Travascio-Green added nine and Sierra Moore (Hanover, Pa.) contributed six points to the Blue and White win. While struggling from beyond the arc, Penn State found its groove inside the paint, outscoring American 42-30 and scoring 15 second chance points.
American shot 43.8 percent from 3-point range with Kaitlyn Lewis making four 3-points on six attempts and scoring a team-high 16 points, while Cecily Carl added 14 and Emily Kinneston had 11 for the Eagles.
Turning Point
With 3:21 left in the fourth quarter
Boykin drove past two defenders going from the left side of the floor to the right before making a layup as she was falling to ground to allow Penn State to take the 58-57 lead. The two points from Boykin would give Penn State the lead for good.
Difference Makers
Penn State
- G Teniya Page -- Led Penn State in scoring for the seventh time this season with 30 points, going an impressive 15-for-17 from the charity stripe. Her 15 free throws rank tied for No. 2 on the Penn State single game charts.
- F De'Janae Boykin -- Scored 10 points in her collegiate debut after sitting out last season and the first 10 games of 1016-17 due to NCAA transfer rules. Also pulled down six rebounds and had one assist.
- C Ashanti Thomas -- Netted seven of her nine points in the final three minutes of the game to help lift the Lady Lions to victory.
- G Jaida Travascio-Green -- Notched nine points, going 4-for-5 from the floor.
- Bench Points -- Five players off the Lady Lion bench contributed 29 points to the Penn State victory.
American
- G Kaitlyn Lewis -- Scored a team-high 16 points, going 4-for-6 from 3-point range.
- F Cecily Carl -- Added 14 points to the Eagle scoring effort and had a team-best six rebounds.
- G Emily Kinneston --Had 11 points and dished out five assists.
- G Maria Liddane --Went 3-for-3 from the charity stripe and handed out a team-best eight assists.
By Quarter
First Quarter
Both teams struggled to score in the opening quarter as Penn State trailed 9-2 heading into the media timeout with 4:37 left to play. Boykin, entering the game for the first time in her career donning the Blue and White and scored Penn State's lone points in the first five and a half minutes with a layup. The Lady Lions managed just four more points in the closing minutes, falling behind 13-6 heading into the second quarter. The six points are the fewest for Penn State in a quarter this season.
American 13, Penn State 6
Second Quarter
After struggling to score in the first quarter the Lady Lions opened up with two quick points from Travascio-Green. The freshman guard scored minutes later on a fast break before the Penn State defense forced American to call a timeout when the Lady Lions pulled within three with 7:57 left to play in the half. Boykin gave Penn State its first lead of the game, 19-18, as she picked up a quick layup on the right side of the floor with 2:14 left in the second quarter. A last second shot in the paint from Peyton Whitted (Suwanee, Ga.) allowed Penn State to take a 24-20 lead into the locker room.
Penn State 24, American 20
Third Quarter
The Lady Lions maintained a slight lead over the Eagles after a Travascio-Green 3-pointer off the in-bound pass gave Penn State the 31-29 advantage with 6:37 to play in the third quarter. American knotted the score at 31-31 on two free throws to tie the score for the first time in the game. Coming out of a timeout, Penn State went on a 9-0 run that include a 10 second backcourt violation and five points from Page to give the Lady Lions a 40-31 advantage. Penn State outscored American 6-5 the rest of the way to take an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter.
Penn State 46, American 38
Fourth Quarter
Moore extended the Lady Lion lead to 10 in the fourth quarter as she drove down the left lane to net a wide-open layup but American answered with a 3-pointer to cut the Lady Lion lead to seven with 8:27 remaining in the contest. The Eagles continued to battle back, scoring four-straight points to come within three and force Washington to call a timeout with 7:12 left to play.
American remained within two of Penn State before a nice feed to Harris on the right side of the floor knotted the game at 54-54 with just over five minutes to play. A 3-pointer from Lewis gave the Eagles their first lead since the second quarter but a Boykin drive down the lane put the lead back into the hands of Penn State, 58-57, with three minutes left. The Lady Lions held onto its narrow lead using five free throws from Page and a steal with five seconds left to take a 70-65 victory over American.
Penn State 70, American 65
Up Next
Penn State will remain at home for the third of four straight home games when it hosts Iona on Tuesday, Dec. 20. The Lady Lions and Gaels will square off at 7 p.m. with the contest set to be featured on BTN Plus.
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