Feb. 5, 2017
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Life on the road can be tough, especially in the Big Ten. You can play your best and still somehow leave on the wrong side of the score, but on Sunday (Feb. 5) the Penn State women's basketball team put it all together and earned its first road win of the Big Ten season, 74-58, over Northwestern inside Welsh-Ryan Arena.
After a nip-and-tuck first half that saw Penn State (15-8, 5-6 B1G) lead by one, 31-30, at the half. The Lady Lions used a 21-10 third quarter advantage to build a double-digit lead over Northwestern (17-6, 6-4 B1G) heading into the final 10 minutes. The third quarter saw Peyton Whitted's (Suwanee, Ga.) five points jump start the offense and Teniya Page (Chicago) closed with seven of the team's final 11 points, eventually pushing the lead to 12 points, 52-40, on a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
The Penn State lead didn't dip below 11 points the entire fourth quarter, as Page's eight points and Jaida Travascio-Green's (Lisle, Ill.) six points helped Penn State seal the victory. The solid second half play helped Penn State win its 12th-straight game over the Wildcats.
Overall, five Lady Lions reached double-figures in the scoring column, led by Page's 18 points. The sophomore from Chicago also handed out eight assists, grabbed four rebounds and corralled one steal in 39 minutes on the court.
Fellow Chicagoland product Travascio-Green added 12 points, shooting 4-of-10 from the field -- including three 3-pointres. Also reaching double-digits for Penn State was Whitted with 11 points, Kaliyah Mitchell (Stone Mountain, Ga.) with 12 tallies and Sierra Moore (Hanover, Pa.) with 10 points.
Mitchell also grabbed a team-best eight rebounds, as Penn State owned a 42-36 edge on the boards to win the rebounding battle for the 16th time in 2016-17.
Northwestern's Nia Coffey led all players with 28 points and 17 rebounds.
Turning Point
With 7:38 left in the third quarter
After Northwestern grabbed a one-point lead, 34-33, on an Amber Jamison layup with 8:05 to play in the third quarter, Penn State answered with four-straight points from Peyton Whitted to reclaim the lead for good. A 19-6 run from that point on pushed the Lady Lions lead into double-figures for the reminder of the contest.
Difference Makers
Penn State
- G Teniya Page-- Scored 18 points to lead Penn State and handed out eight assists. Hit 7-of-7 shots from the free throw line.
- G Jaida Travascio-Green -- Connected on three 3-pointers and scored 12 total points. Added four rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot.
- G Sierra Moore -- Added 10 points and eight rebounds.
- F Peyton Whitted -- Scored 11 points and added seven boards. Shot 4-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line.
- F Kaliyah Mitchell -- Scored 12 points to go along with a team-best nine rebounds. Shot 4-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line.
Northwestern
- F Nia Coffey -- Scored a game-high 28 points to go along with a game-best 17 boards. Hit 14-of-18 shots from the free throw line.
- G Ashley Deary -- Scored 12 points with five assists and six steals.
By Quarter
First Quarter
Penn State took a two-point lead into the first break, thanks in large part to balanced scoring and a team-effort on the glass. Penn State saw five players reach the scoring column and held an n11-10 edge on the glass after 10 minutes. Six-straight points from Northwestern helped the Wildcats build a four-point lead, 12-8, with 3:46 to play, but Penn State used a 9-3 spurt to close the quarter and take the two-point lead into the break. Sierra Moore and Peyton Whitted each tallied four points in the opening frame for Penn State.
Penn State 17, at Northwestern 15
Second Quarter
After a Nia Coffey free throw opened the scoring in the second quarter, Penn State reeled off five straight points to build a six-point lead -- the largest advantage for either team in the first half -- but Northwestern responded with a 12-2 run of its own to swing momentum and take a 28-24 lead with 2:58 to play in the second quarter. The Lady Lions closed the half on a 7-2 spurt to push back into the lead at the half.
Penn State 31, at Northwestern 30
Third Quarter
Penn State outscored Northwester 21-10 in the third quarter to build a 12-point lead entering the final 10 minutes. Whitted got the Lady Lions jump started on offense with five of the first seven points of the frame and Teniya Page brought it home with seven of the final 11 points for Penn State.
Penn State 52, at Northwestern 40
Fourth Quarter
The double-digit lead for Penn State was maintained for the entire fourth quarter, with the Lady Lions eventually building a 17-point lead on an Ashanti Thomas layup with 5:31 to play. An eight-point fourth quarter for Page led the way for Penn State, while Jaida Travascio-Green chipped in six points in the final 10 minutes to help Penn State to the road victory.
Penn State 74, at Northwestern 58
Up Next
Penn State will return home for a pair of games inside the Bryce Jordan Center, beginning with a matchup with Minnesota on Wednesday, Feb. 8. The game will tipoff at 7 p.m. and will be carried on the Penn State Radio Network and BTN2go.com.
Wednesday's game features the 4 for $44 deal, which includes four tickets and a $20 voucher to the Bryce Jordan Center concession stand. The deal can be purchased by calling 1-800-NITTANY or by visiting GoPSUsports.com/four44.