Nov. 25, 2017
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LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- The game featured 13 lead changes and six ties in the first three quarter, but Louisiana Tech grabbed control of the game with a 7-0 spurt spanning the third and fourth quarters as the Penn State women's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season, 71-59, in its opening game at the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout at South Point Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Lady Lions (5-1) held a one-point lead, 49-48, with one minute left in the third quarter, but Louisiana Tech (4-1) out-scored the Blue and White 23-10 over the final 11 minutes of the game to hand them their first loss of the season.
Redshirt-sophomore Amari Carter (Washington, D.C.) led the way for Penn State with her third-straight 20-point game, netting a career-best 24 tallies. She shot 8-of-14 from the floor -- including 4-of-7 from 3-point range -- and hit all four free throw attempts. She added four assists, four steals and a pair of rebounds. It was her fourth-career 20-point game and 15th career game with 10-plus points.
In her first action of the season, junior Teniya Page (Chicago, Ill.) returned from injury to score nine points, pushing her career total to 1,100 points and gave her sole possession of No. 32 on the career scoring charts. Page hit 5-of-6 free throws in the game and collected a pair of made field goals in 16 minutes on the floor.
Sophomore Jaida Travascio-Green (Lisle, Ill.) chipped in 11 points, hitting 4-of-8 field goals, including a pair of 3-pointers. She added three assists and three rebounds in the contest. Redshirt-sophomore De'Janae Boykin (Springdale, Md.) added 11 rebounds for her second career double-figure rebounding game. Boykin added five points, a career-high four assists and one blocked shot.
Four Lady Techsters reached double-figures, led by 17 points from Kierra Anthony. Taylor Stahly added 15, while Reauna Clever and Alexus Malone each chipped in 13 tallies. Malone posted a double-double, adding 10 rebounds to her total, to go along with five assists.
Turning Point
With 0:51 to go in the fourth quarter
After Penn State took the lead, 49-48, on a pair of Amari Carter free throws, Louisiana Tech recaptured the lead on an Anthony layup, a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way. After an empty Penn State possession, Malone followed with a jumper as time expired in the third quarter to build the Lady Techsters lead to three points heading into the final 10 minutes
Difference Makers
Penn State
- G Amari Carter -- Shot 57 percent from the field on her way to a career-best 24 points. Added four assists and four steals.
- G Teniya Page -- Returned to action after missing the first five games due to injury, scoring nine points. Played 16 minutes.
- G Jaida Travascio-Green -- Registered her fourth double-figure scoring game of the season with 11 points. Hit two 3-pointers. Added three rebounds and three assists.
- F De'Janae Boykin -- Pulled down 11 rebounds for her second career double-figure rebound game. Added five points, a career-high four assists and one blocked shot.
- Assisting The Cause -- Penn State assisted on 14 of its 19 made field goals vs. Louisiana Tech.
Louisiana Tech
- G Kierra Anthony -- Scored 16 points to go along with five rebounds and two assists.
- Post Play -- The duo of Reauna Cleaver and Alexus Malone combined for 26 points (13 apiece) and 17 rebounds to help Louisiana Tech dominate the boards (34-25) and points in the paint (36-20).
- Hot Shooting -- Louisiana Tech shot 50 percent in each half, ending the game with a 51.9 percent clip from the field. The Lady Techsters also hit 44 percent of their shots from 3-point range.
First Quarter
The lead changed hands six times and was tied on three occasions, as Penn State and Louisiana Tech exchanged baskets in the early going. The Lady Techsters took a 10-8 lead on a Daria McCutcheon layup with 1:32 to play. However, a 7-0 run by the Lady Lions to close the quarter pushed them to a five-point lead at the first break. Carter led all scorers with seven points, while Siyeh Frazier (Detroit, Mich.) scored all six of her points in the opening 10 minutes.
Penn State 15, Louisiana Tech 10
Second Quarter
Penn State pushed its lead to six points, 16-10, on a Travascio-Green free throw to open the second-quarter scoring, but Louisiana Tech answered with a 17-4 burst to build a seven-point lead with 4:31 left in the half. For the first time in 2017-18, Page got her name into the scorebook, hitting a pair of free throws with 2:21 to play in the quarter. Page followed with a jumper and two more freebies to pull Penn State within two points, 31-29, with one minute to play. A late bucket for Louisiana Tech made it a four-point game at the half.
Louisiana Tech 33, Penn State 29
Third Quarter
The third quarter was another see-saw frame, as the lead changed hands six times and the score was tied on to occasions. A Travascio-Green 3-pointer accounted for the first lead change with 7:37 to play in the quarter, 34-33, and the score was back-and-forth until an 11-3 run by the Lady Techsters built their lead to seven points, 39-46, with 3:00 to play in the frame. A 10-2 run pushed the Blue and White back into the lead, 49-48, with Carter sinking four-straight free throws -- including a pair of technical foul free throws -- but as Louisiana Tech did in the second quarter, it hit a pair of late buckets to retake the lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Louisiana Tech 52, Penn State 49
Fourth Quarter
After scoring the last four points of the third quarter, Louisiana Tech built a modest six-point lead, 59-53, with 6:22 to play on a Raizel Guinto jumper. Travascio-Green cut that lead in half with a 3-pointer, but that would be the last Penn State field goal of the game. Penn State was 0-of-4 from the field and 3-of-6 from the free throw stripe over the final 5:50 of the game, while the Lady Techsters hit 4-of-7 shots from the floor and 2-of-3 at the charity stripe to close out the 12-point victory.
Louisiana Tech 71, Penn State 59
Up Next
Penn State closes out its stay at the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout with a matchup against Kansas State on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 8:45 p.m. ET/5:45 PT inside the South Point Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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.