Nov. 20, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The first snow hit the Old Main lawn just 18 hours before the Penn State women's basketball team turned up the heat on Central Connecticut State inside the Bryce Jordan Center on Monday (Nov. 20) night, as the Lady Lions forced 20 Blue Devil missteps on the way to an 83-66 victory to improve to 5-0 on the season.
Penn State (5-0) seemed to be in control of the game early in the third period, but Central Connecticut State (0-4) used a 17-6 burst over the first 6:30 of the third quarter to trim a 15-point halftime lead down to just four points, 52-48, with 3:33 to play in the quarter. However, Penn State closed the third stanza on a 15-2 run and the Blue Devils wouldn't get the deficit back to single digits the rest of the night.
The win made the Lady Lions 5-0 to start a season for the first time since 2012-13 and head coach Coquese Washington started a season 5-0 for the third time in her 11 seasons. Washington also guided the 2010-11 and 2012-13 squads to 5-0 starts.
Freshman Alisia Smith (Lansing, Mich.) earned her first career double-digit scoring effort donning the blue and white with 14 points, shooting 6-for-7 from the floor. She also reached career-best marks in rebounds (6), assists (2) and blocked shots (3).
Redshirt-sophomore Amari Carter (Washington, D.C.) notched her fourth double-digit scoring effort of the season and 14th of her career with 20 points against CCSU. It was the second-straight 20-point game for Carter and the third of her career (one in 2016-17, two in 2017-18).
Carter's six assists mark the fourth time this season that she has handed out five-or-more helpers in a game and the 19th time in her career. She didn't commit a turnover and added a career-high-tying eight rebounds to lead the team in scoring, assists and rebounds.
Sophomore De'Janae Boykin (Springdale, Md.) scored 10 points to mark her third double-figure scoring game of the season. Boykin added five rebounds and two assists to her stat line in 22 minutes. Freshman Kamaria McDaniel (Inkster, Mich.) also chipped in a double-figure scoring effort with 17 tallies, including a 3-of-6 effort from beyond the arch.
Turning Point
With 3:11 to go in the fourth quarter
De'Janae Boykin's layup started a 15-2 run over the final 3:11 of the third quarter to re-build a double-digit lead. The Lady Lions didn't allow the Blue Devils back into the contest, swelling the lead to 19 points to coast to their fifth win in as many tries this season.
Difference Makers
Penn State
- G Amari Carter -- Registered her second-straight 20-point game, shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Added a career-high-tying eight rebounds and handed out six assists. Didn't commit a turnover in the game and had three steals.
- F Alisia Smith -- Posted her first career double-figure scoring game with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field. Posted career highs in rebounds (6), blocked shots (3) and assists (2).
- Turnover Differential -- Penn State forced 20 Blue Devil turnovers and committed just nine missteps in the game for a plus-11 turnover margin. It was the third game this season that Penn State forced 20-plus turnovers.
- Swipe and Score -- Penn State turned the 20 CCSU turnovers into 26 points.
Central Connecticut State
- F Andi Lydon -- Led all scorers with 25 points, shooting 8-of-9 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. Added nine rebounds, three assists and one steal.
- G Kiana Patterson -- Scored 13 points -- including three 3-pointers -- with two assists and one steal.
First Quarter
Central Connecticut State opened the scoring with a layup, but Siyeh Frazier (Detroit, Mich.) put Penn State on the scoreboard with a steal and score for the third-straight game. A 3-pointer from Kiana Patterson and layup from Ashley Forker gave the Blue Devils a five-point lead with 3:49 to play, but three points from Smith and two free throws from McDaniel knotted the score at 10 with 3:16 left in the opening frame. Carter gave Penn State its first lead of the game, 12-10. After a CCSU bucket, three consecutive three-point plays pushed Penn State's lead to nine points, but a late triple from the Blue Devils made it a six-point lead for PSU after one period.
at Penn State 21, Central Connecticut State 15
Second Quarter
Penn State started the second quarter on a 10-0 run to open up a 16-point lead with 6:43 to play in the opening half. Carter hit a 3-pointer to push Penn State's lead to 31-15, and the two teams traded baskets the rest of the way, with McDaniel scoring the final eight points of the quarter for Penn State. The lead ballooned to as many as 18 on three occasions in the frame, but the Blue Devils scored six of the final nine points to send the game into the half at 46-31 in favor of the home team.
at Penn State 46, Central Connecticut State 31
Third Quarter
The third quarter started with a 17-6 run by Central Connecticut State to trim Penn State's lead from 15 at the break to just four points, 52-48, with 3:33 to play in the third. However, Penn State had an answer, reeling off 15 of the final 17 points in the third quarter to take a 17 point lead into the final 10 minutes. Boykin, Carter and Frazier all netted four points during the closing spurt, while Smith chipped in the other three tallies.
at Penn State 67, Central Connecticut State 50
Fourth Quarter
A 9-4 spurt by the Blue Devils pulled the score within 11 points, 71-60, with 6:33 to play in the final quarter, but Penn State scored the next seven points to push its lead back to 18 points with 3:35 to play. A pair of Central Connecticut State three pointers were balanced by three free throws and a layup from the Lady Lions to account for the final margin of 17 points.
at Penn State 83, Central Connecticut State 66
Up Next
The Lady Lions head to Las Vegas, Nevada for a pair of neutral site contests in the South Point Shootout. Penn State will face Louisiana Tech on Friday, Nov. 24 and Kansas State on Saturday, Nov. 25. Both games will start at 8:45 p.m. ET. Fans who cannot make it to the game can catch all the action live on the airwaves of the Penn State Radio Network with Jerry Fisher and Joe Putnam.