Feb. 22, 2017
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EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The lead was as large as 19 points for the Penn State women's basketball program on Wednesday (Feb. 22) evening inside the Breslin Center, but Michigan State outscored the Lady Lions by 23 points in the second half to escape with a 73-64 win in a pivotal Big Ten Conference game.
The Lady Lions (18-9, 8-7 B1G) and Spartans (19-9, 9-6 B1G) entered the game in a four-way tie for the No. 4 spot in the Big Ten standings with the conference tournament starting on March 1 in Indianapolis. With the loss, Penn State sits in the No. 7 spot with 10 total games left to play in the conference slate.
Sophomore Teniya Page (Chicago, Ill.) posted her 12th game with at least 20 points this season, ending the night with 23 tallies. In the process, she passed Mag Strittmatter (1975-78) for No. 38 on the all-time scoring list. Page now has 979 tallies, passing Strittmatter's 975 career points. The sophomore added five rebounds, seven assists and two steals in 37 minutes on the floor.
With 19 points in the game, senior Sierra Moore (Hanover, Mich.) equaled her season high scoring total for the third time in 2016-17. She added nine rebounds, narrowly missing a double-double, to go along with one assist and one steal.
Penn State posted its eighth game of the season with 10-or-fewer turnovers, ending the night with nine missteps.
Turning Point
With 8:48 left in the fourth quarter
Michigan State had not led over the first three quarter, but a Kennedy Johnson layup just 72 seconds into the fourth quarter put the Spartans ahead for the first time, 55-54. While Penn State would regain the lead twice over the next three minutes, Michigan State would answer each time.
Difference Makers
Penn State
- G Teniya Page --Tallied 23 points -- her 18th career 20-point game - adding a team-best five assists. Chipped in seven rebounds and two steals in 37 minutes.
- G Sierra Moore --Equaled her season-best with 19 points -- the third game with 19 tallies -- and added a team-best nine rebounds.
- Limiting the TO -- Penn State posted its eighth game of the season with 10-or-fewer turnovers, ending the night with only nine missteps.
Michigan State
- G Tori Jankoska -- Poured in 21 points -- all in the second half -- and added 12 rebounds for the double-double.
- C Kennedy Johnson --Netted 12 points.
- F Taya Reimer --Scored 13 points to go along with five rebounds.
- G Taryn McCutcheon --Scored seven points and added five assists.
- G Branndais Agee --Scored seven points, pulled down 10 rebounds and added four assists.
By Quarter
First Quarter
Penn State got off to an early 7-0 lead and eventually took a 10-point advantage, 13-3, on a Peyton Whitted (Suwanee, Ga.) jumper with 4:54 to play in the opening quarter. Michigan State wouldn't let the game get away from them early, using an 11-4 spurt over a 2:30 span to pull within three points on a Branndais Agee jumper with 1:40 to play in the opening 10 minutes. The Lady Lions closed the quarter on a 7-1 spurt, with four coming from Sierra Moore and three from Teniya Page.
Penn State 24, at Michigan State 15
Second Quarter
Again the Blue and White opened the quarter strong on a 12-2 run, pushing the lead to 17 points, 36-19, on an Ashanti Thomas (Lexington, Ky.) layup with 3:42 to play in the opening half. Following the Thomas layup, neither team could get much going offensively, with the final three minutes featuring only 11 points, as Michigan State outscored Penn State 7-4 during that stretch.
Penn State 40, at Michigan State 26
Third Quarter
Penn State scored six of the first seven points coming out of the locker room, but Michigan State responded with 11 straight points over a 2:04 span to cut it to eight points, 46-38. A pair of Kaliyah Mitchell (Stone Mountain, Ga.) free throws at the 5:14 mark ended the scoreless drought for the Lady Lions. Three Penn State layups were knifed by a Tori Jankoska 3-pointer and Penn State led by 13, 54-51, with 3:26 to play in the third quarter. Penn State did not score the rest of the quarter and Michigan State ended the quarter on a 10-0 run to make it a three-point game entering the final 10 minutes.
Penn State 54, at Michigan State 51
Fourth Quarter
A six minute Penn State scoring drought -- that spanned the third and fourth quarters -- allowed Michigan State to take its first lead of the game, Moore ended the drought with a jumper at the 7:07 mark. Page followed with a 3-pointer two possessions later to push Penn State back into the lead, 59-58, with 6:19 to play in the fourth quarter. However, Michigan State would outscore Penn State by 10 over the final six minutes, 15-5, to grab the victory.
at Michigan State 73, Michigan State 64
Up Next
Penn State returns home for the regular-season finale vs. Michigan in the annual Play4Kay benefitting Pink Zone contest on Feb. 26. The game is slated for a 2 p.m. tipoff and tickets are still available by calling 1-800-NITTANY.