Jan. 29, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State women's basketball team improved to 11-1 at the Bryce Jordan Center with a decisive 82-66 Big Ten Conference victory over Illinois on Saturday, Jan. 29.
The Lady Lions (14-7, 4-5 B1G) shot 46.6 percent from the floor, marking the eighth time that Penn State has shot 45 percent or better from the floor in 2016-17, while keeping Illinois (8-14, 3-6 B1G) to just 34.3 percent shooting.
Sophomore Teniya Page (Chicago, Ill.) reached the 200-assist plateau, handing out six assists on the afternoon and bringing her career total to 204. Furthermore, Page tallied her 18th double-digit scoring effort of the season and 43rd of her career with 12 points.
Senior Kaliyah Mitchell (Stone Mountain, Ga.) moved into the No. 21 spot in Lady Lion laurels, grabbing her 621st career rebound in the third quarter. Mitchell ended the contest with six rebounds, while notching her seventh double-digit scoring effort of the 2016-17 season and 35th of her career with 16 points on the afternoon.
Senior Sierra Moore (Hanover, Pa.) led Penn State and set a Big Ten career-best with her 19 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the floor. She added seven free throws on nine attempts, corralled four rebounds and had two assists.
Redshirt-freshman Amari Carter (Washington, D.C.) lent a helping hand with a game-high eight assists, marking the 11th time in her career that she has notched five-or-more assists in a single contest. Carter has paced the Last Lions 13 times in the 2016-17 season in helpers. The redshirt-freshman added eight points, four rebounds, and two steals.
The Penn State bench continued to impress for Penn State, scoring 35 points compared to Illinois's 11 with junior Lindsey Spann (Laurel, Md.) scoring 10 points and Mitchell adding 16. The Lady Lions pushed the pace of the game from the start, forcing 16 turnovers and scoring 18 fast break points against Illinois.
The Fighting Illini were led by freshman Brandi Beasley, who scored 28 points with 10 field goals and seven free throws, while Alex Wittinger knocked down 14 points and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds
Turning Point
With 3:30 left in the second quarter
After a lull in scoring, Penn State went on an 8-0 run that took less than a minute to extend its lead to 40-28. The run started with a trey from Amari Carter before Kaliyah Mitchell capped it off with five-straight points, including three free throws and a jumper.
Difference Makers
Penn State
- G Sierra Moore -- Notched a team-high 19 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the floor and 7-for-9 shooting from the charity stripe. Had four rebounds and two assists.
- F Kaliyah Mitchell -- Tallied 16 points, while tying for team best with six rebounds.
- G Amari Carter -- Dished out a game-high eight assists, scored eight points and pulled down four rebounds. Also swiped two steals and only had two turnovers in 30 minutes of court time.
- G Teniya Page -- Scored 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting, including two 3-pointers. Added six assists, three rebounds and one steal.
- Fast Break Points -- Penn State pushed the pace of the contest, scoring 18 fast break points, compared to Illinois's two.
- Benching It -- Penn State's bench again did the job, owning a 35-11 edge on the scoresheet and a 19-5 edge on the boards.
Illinois
- G Brandi Beasley -- Scored a game-best 28 points with 7-for-7 shooting from the charity stripe. Also grabbed seven rebounds and added five assists.
- F Alex Wittinger -- Notched 14 points and grabbed a game-best eight rebounds.
- G Petra Holesinska -- Tallied nine points and five rebounds before fouling out.
By Quarter
First Quarter
Penn State used a quick 8-0 run over a two minute span, including going 5-for-5 from the floor to take a 12-6 lead with 4:38 remaining in the first quarter. The Lady Lion's hot shooting continued as they went 8-for-10 -- including a Lindsey Spann trey from the corner -- to extend its lead to 21-13. Illinois knocked down the next five points of the quarter to trail 21-18 heading into the second 10 minutes of play.
at Penn State 21, Illinois 18
Second Quarter
Penn State worked the boards for second chances to start the second quarter, maintaining a slight four-point lead, 26-22, with 6:25 left in the half. The Lady Lions recovered from a slight lull in scoring, going on an 8-0 run in a mere 60 seconds to extend its lead to 40-28 with 3:30 left to play. A Kaliyah Mitchell put back in the final seconds allowed Penn State to take a 46-39 lead into the locker room at the half.
at Penn State 46, Illinois 39
Third Quarter
The two teams exchanged baskets to open the second half, each scoring six points, allowing Penn State to hold onto a seven-point lead, 54-47. Four free throws and a fast break layup from Sierra Moore extended the Lady Lion lead to 60-47 and forced an Illinois timeout with three minutes left in the third quarter. The Blue and White worked its way to a 10-point lead, 63-53, despite suffering a two minute scoring draught in the final minutes of the quarter.
at Penn State 63, Illinois 53
Fourth Quarter
The Lady Lion came out of the break on an 8-0 run, capped off with a Teniya Page layup to hold onto a 73-53 lead heading into the media timeout. Illinois continued to suffer offensively as two players fouled out followed by 1-for-6 shooting from the floor, while Penn State extended its lead to 81-59 with just over two minutes remaining in the contest. The Fighting Illini worked for a comeback, scoring seven-straight points but it was not enough as Penn State earned the victory.
at Penn State 82, Illinois 66
Up Next
Penn State hits the road for its next two Big Ten Conference games, with a mid-week contest Wednesday, Feb. 1 at Ohio State. Tip off from Columbus, Ohio is slated for 7 p.m.