Oct. 29, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State women's basketball team was unable to overcome a third quarter run by the Cedarville, falling 59-53 in its lone exhibition contest of the 2017-18 campaign.
The Lady Lions pushed out to an early lead over the Yellow Jackets, owning the advantage for the entire first half of play, but it was Cedarville who came out quickly in the third quarter, outscoring Penn State, 20-10, over the third 10 minutes.
Penn State capitalized on Yellow Jacket mistakes throughout the game, scoring 16 points off of turnovers and 10 on the fast break. Sophomore Jaida Travascio-Green (Lisle, Ill.) picked up where she left off at the end of the 2016-17 season, draining four 3-pointers on the afternoon to finish with a game-best 20 points. Junior Sarah McMurtry (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had a career day for the Blue and White, going 2-for-2 from the floor and adding one free throw for seven points.
On the boards, sophomore De'Janae Boykin (Springdale, Md.) grabbed a team-best nine rebounds and Jaylen Williams (Easton, Mass.) pulled down eight caroms for the Blue and White. As a team, the Lady Lions had a slight 42-41 rebound advantage over Cedarville.
Three freshmen scored their first points donning the Blue and White with Sam Breen (Gibsonia, Pa.) being the first with an and-one in the first quarter, while also adding one block and two steals to her stat line. Alisia Smith (Lansing, Mich.) would score four points of her own and Kamaria McDaniel (Inkster, Mich.) had four points for the Blue and White and grabbed seven boards in her first action.
Cedarville had three student-athletes contribute double-digit scoring efforts with Baylee Bennett going 5-for-8 from beyond the arc for 18 points. Kaitlyn Holm added 14 points and Regina Hochstetler had 10 points. Breanne Watterworth paced the Yellow Jackets below the basket with 10 rebounds on the day and Holm added eight to the tally.
Turning Point
With 8:36 left in the third quarter
The Yellow Jackets went on a 12-1 run, using two 3-pointers from Bennett and Holm, to give it the Jackets a 37-32 lead over Penn State. Cedarville maintained the lead for the remainder of the game to take home the exhibition game victory.
Difference Makers
Penn State
- G Jaida Travascio-Green -- Led all scorers with 20 points which included four 3-pointers.
- F De'Janae Boykin -- Pulled down nine rebounds and score six points
- G Kamaria McDaniel -- Had seven rebounds and knocked down four free throws in her debut in the Blue and White.
- G Sarah McMurtry -- Went 2-for-2 from beyond the arc and had one free throw to add seven points for the Lady Lions
Cedarville
- G Baylee Bennett -- Netted a team-best 18 points with five 3-pointers to go 6-for-10 from the floor
- G Kaitlyn Holm --Scored 14 points and brought down eight rebounds for the Yellow Jackets
- G Jamie Dodane --Rounded out the trio of Cedarville double-digit scorers with 10 points on the day
- F Breanne Watterworth --Recorded a team-best 10 rebounds and added four points.
First Quarter
Penn State started its exhibition game with a Travascio-Green 3-pointer off the tip before Cedarville answered with a layup on its next trip down the floor. The Yellow Jackets would take a slight lead over the Lady Lions before Travascio Green netted two treys and Siyeh Frazier (Detroit, Mich.) had two free throws for the Blue and White to take the lead back. Travascio Green closed out the first quarter with five more points for Penn State to account for a 17-11 lead over Cedarville after 10 minutes of play.
Penn State 17, Cedarville 11
Second Quarter
The two teams exchanged baskets for much of the second quarter with Smith recording her first points donning the Blue and White in the closing minutes of the first half. The Yellow Jackets added two points on a layup with 54 seconds on the clock to come within six, 28-22. The Lady Lions looked to score one final basket but was unable to get one to fall, heading into the locker room leading by six.
Penn State 28, Cedarville 22
Third Quarter
Cedarville came out of the break on fire, going on a 12-1 run to take a 34-30 lead before Washington called a timeout to reorganize. Penn State worked its way within one, 39-38, following a Williams's free throw with 2:18 remaining in the quarter. The Yellow Jackets tacked on three final points in the closing minutes of the quarter to extend its lead to 42-38 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Cedarville 42, Penn State 38
Fourth Quarter
Cedarville continued to put pressure on the Penn State defense in the fourth quarter, opening with five-straight points to take a 47-38 advantage. The Lady Lions looked to chip away at the Yellow Jacket lead when Travascio-Green knocked down her fourth 3-pointer of the game but Cedarville answered back with a bucket of their own to maintain a 51-43 lead with 5:07 left to play. Penn State continued to try and make a comeback, but each time Cedarville responded to earn a 59-53 win.
Cedarville 59, Penn State 53
Up Next
The Lady Lions open their 2017-18 campaign Friday, Nov. 10 when they welcome Siena to the Bryce Jordan Center at 7 p.m. Fans who cannot make it out to the game can catch all the action live on the airwaves of the Penn State Radio Network. The women's contest will follow the men's basketball season opener against Campbell at 4 p.m. at the BJC.