Feb. 11, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- As a senior, you want one thing on Senior Day: a victory. On Saturday, Feb. 11, the Penn State women's basketball program honored its three seniors; Kaliyah Mitchell (Stone Mountain, Ga.), Sierra Moore (Hanover, Pa.) and Peyton Whitted (Suwanee, Ga.), and behind a combined 34 points from that group, they walked away with a 79-73 victory over Purdue at the Bryce Jordan Center.
While it was not the final home game for this group -- that will come on Feb. 26 vs. Michigan in the 11th annual Play4Kay benefiting Pink Zone game -- the group was honored pregame, along with the programs five senior managers.
The seniors set the tone early, scoring 14 of the team's first 16 points of the game, before Teniya Page (Chicago, Ill.) brought it home with 14 second half-points, including 11 in the final quarter.
In a game featured 14 ties and 17 lead changes -- the final coming when Sierra Moore hit a pair of free throws with 40 seconds remaining in the third quarter to give Penn State a 54-53 lead -- the difference came in the second half, where Penn State outscored Purdue 41-31, thanks for just one turnover and 10 points off of six offensive rebounds.
Whitted was the first Lady Lion to reach double-figures, scoring all 11 of her points by halftime, while Moore poured in 11 of her 13 points after the break. Mitchell was a steady force for Penn State, as she registered her third double-double of the season and 10th of her career with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Page continued her pursuit of 1,000 career points, pouring in a game-high 24 tallies to push her into the top-40 in school history. Page's 24 points came in the final three quarter -- including 11 in the fourth quarter -- as she did not attempt a shot in the opening 10 minutes and entered halftime with just 7 tallies.
In her 55th career game, Page pushed her scoring total to 942 points (17.1 ppg) to rank No. 40 on the Penn State list. She passed Carla Coleman, who scored 921 career points from 1992-95, for No. 40 on the list.
Page added three assists -- leading the team in both scoring and assists for the 27th time in her career -- to move up one spot on the career assist charts. She pushed past Lynn Dougherty (219, 1989-92) and into No. 24 with 221 helpers in her career.
Jaida Travascio-Green (Lisle, Ill.) moved into the top-5 in the freshman record books with her 39th and 40th made 3-pointers of the season. The later of the made shots from distance pushed her past Tyra Grant (2006-07) and into the No. 5 spot on the freshman single season 3-pointers made charts.
Penn State was strong with the basketball again, committing a school-record-tying six missteps vs. Purdue. It is the seventh time in program history Penn State has turned the ball over just six times in a game and third time in the last two years. It is the seventh game this season the Blue and White had 10-or-fewer turnovers and is the fifth time in the last eight games.
The Lady Lions again won the battle on the glass, 42-38, with 15 offensive rebounds and 18 second chance points.
Turning Point
With 0:40 left in the third quarter
After seeing three ties and three lead changes in a two minute span, Sierra Moore grabbed a defensive rebounds and pushed the ball down the floor, drawing a foul to get to the free throw line. The senior calmly sank both freebies to give Penn State a 54-53 lead. It was the 17th -- and final -- lead change of the game, as Penn State would score nine of the next 12 points to build a lead that Purdue couldn't overcome.
Difference Makers
Penn State
- Seniors Shine --The trio of Kaliyah Mitchell, Sierra Moore and Peyton Whitted all reached double-figures in scoring and combined for 34 points in the victory on Senior Day.
- G Teniya Page --Tallied 24 points -- her 17th career 20-point game - with 11 of them coming in the fourth quarter. Added four rebounds, three assists and one steal. Made 11-of-16 shots from the free throw line.
- F Kaliyah Mitchell --Posted her third double-double of the season and 10th of her career with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Added two assists and two blocked shots.
- G Sierra Moore --Hit all five free throws and added four made field goals for 13 points. Pulled down seven rebounds, added two assists and blocked one shot.
- F Peyton Whitted --Scored all 11 of her points in the first half -- limited by foul trouble in the second half. Added five rebounds and two blocked shots.
- Offensive Glass Cleaning --Penn State turned 15 offensive rebounds into 18 second chance points vs. the Boilermakers.
- Freebie Fest --Penn State made 27-of-34 free throws in the game, its most since hitting 27-of-35 vs. Ohio State on March 7, 2014 in the Big Ten Tournament. The 27 makes are the most in a regular season Big Ten game since Jan. 9, 2014 at Illinois, when the Lady Lions made 29-of-39 shots from the charity stripe.
Purdue
- G Ashley Morrissette -- Led Purdue with 17 points and six assists. Hit 8-of-8 free throws.
- G Dominique Oden --Scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting -- including a 3-of-5 effort from 3-point range.
- G Andreona Keys -- Posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Added four assists and two steals.
- Helping Hands --Purdue assisted on 17 of 28 made field goals in the game.
By Quarter
First Quarter
Both teams had their time playing with a lead, as the score was tied on four occasions and changed hands seven times. Peyton Whitted scored six of Penn State's first nine points, with her two free throws with 5:27 to play giving Penn State a 9-8 edge. Purdue took the lead back and held it until Jaida Travascio-Green nailed a 3-pointer with 1:11 to play, giving the Blue and White a 19-18 lead. After exchanging points and sitting tied at 22 apiece, Lindsey Spann (Laurel, Md.) delivered again with the clock winding down to end the first quarter. Spann drained a jumper at the buzzer to give Penn State the lead after one quarter.
at Penn State 24, Purdue 22
Second Quarter
Five more ties and three more lead changes highlighted the second quarter, as Penn State held the early advantage before Purdue grabbed the momentum late. Teniya Page scored seven points in the quarter, but the Boilermakers held a 20-14 edge overall during the second 10 minute quarter. Purdue connected on 9-of-14 shots from the field -- handing out seven assists on those baskets -- and Penn State committed three of its six turnovers in the second quarter, heading to the locker room down by four points.
Purdue 42, at Penn State 38
Third Quarter
An 8-2 run to open the third quarter gave Penn State the lead back, 46-44, courtesy of a Sierra Moore and-1 with 6:38 to play. The quarter featured only three Penn State baskets, with the other 12 points coming from the free throw line. The Lady Lions didn't made a basket the final 6:30, but hit 11-of-13 free throws during that stretch to eventually take the lead. Penn State didn't commit a turnover in the third quarter and blocked five shots.
at Penn State 56, Purdue 53
Fourth Quarter
The Boilermakers were able to reach the 20-point mark in three of four quarters, but Penn State's 13-5 scoring run spanning the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth quarter was enough to earn the home team win No. 13 inside the friendly confines of the Bryce Jordan Center. Teniya Page had 11 of her game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter -- including a 7-of-10 effort from the free throw line.
at Penn State 79, Purdue 73
Up Next
Penn State will travel to Illinois (Feb. 14) and Michigan State (Feb. 22) before closing out the regular season at home vs. Michigan for the annual Play4Kay benefitting Pink Zone contest on Feb. 26. The Lady Lions head to Champaign, Ill. for a Feb. 14 tilt, slated for an 8 p.m. ET tipoff.
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