Nov. 30, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Carrying a 24-6 edge in the second quarter, the Penn State women's basketball team was able to defeat Wake Forest, 68-58, in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Thursday, Nov. 30 at the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Lady Lions (6-2) shot an impressive 28-of-33 (85 percent) from the charity stripe, a season-best mark for free throws made, and controlled the boards against the lengthy Demon Deacons (2-5).
Although Wake Forest's bench provided a great spark with a 34-15 advantage in scoring, Penn State never trailed in the game, leading for over 38 minutes. The Lady Lions held an advantage in second chance points, 16-2, and points off turnovers, 13-12, forcing 20 Wake Forest missteps.
Junior Teniya Page (Chicago, Ill.) led the way for Penn State scoring a game-high 21 points, going 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Page's 21 points in the contest is the 56th time in her career and second time in the 2017-18 season in which she reached double digits. It also marked the 22nd 20-point game of her career.
Sophomore De'Janae Boykin (Springdale, Md) led the Lady Lions on the boards with 11 rebounds while also adding nine points. Boykin has now led Penn State on the boards in the last three contests -- all double-figure rebounding efforts - and seven times on the season.
Freshman guard Kamaria McDaniel (Inkster, Mich.) scored 12 points, shooting 6-of-7 from the foul line, and pulled down a career-high six rebounds in the victory. McDaniel's 12 points marked the third time in her career in which she notched double-digits.
Wake Forest put three players in double figures as Elisa Penna led the way with 16, Ona Udoh added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Tyra Whitehead had 10 points along with seven rebounds in the loss.
Turning Point
With 4:13 to go in the second quarter
After a tight opening quarter, Page drew a foul and netted both free throws to spark a 13-0 Lady Lion run that was capped off by a Jaida Travascio-Green (Lisle, Ill.) 3-pointer to give Penn State its largest lead of the night at 22.
Difference Makers
Penn State
- G Teniya Page -- Scored a game-high 21 points, going 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Pulled down two rebounds and had one steal.
- G Jaida Travascio-Green -- Tallied 11 points with six rebounds. Added one assist.
- F De'Janae Boykin -- Secured double-digit rebounds for the third consecutive game with 11 boards. Added nine points and one assist.
- G Kamaria McDaniel -- Scored 12 points, going 6-of-7 from the free throw line. Hauled in a career-high six rebounds.
- Charity Stripe Cash-In -- Penn State was plus-14 points from the free throw line, hitting 28-of-33 shots from the charity stripe.
Wake Forest
- F Elisa Penna -- Scored a team-best 16 points.
- F Ona Udoh -- Went 5-of-7 from the field, scoring 13 points and grabbing seven rebounds.
- F Tyra Whitehead -- Added 10 points while securing seven rebounds.
- Bench Mob -- Wake Forest scored 34 of its 58 points off the bench, including Penna (16) and Udoh (13), the team's top two scorers in the game.
First Quarter
Boykin opened the scoring with a quick layup on the game's first possession that sparked a 6-0 run to open the game for the Lady Lions. After an early Demon Deacons' timeout, Wake Forest went on a 6-0 run of its own to tie the score at the 4:06 mark. After exchanging buckets throughout the remainder of the period, Boykin pulled down an offensive rebound and converted the layup with nine seconds left to give Penn State the lead.
at Penn State 14, Wake Forest 12
Second Quarter
Penn State opened up the quarter on a 9-0 run over the first 4:20 before an Udoh layup ended the Lady Lions' run. The dominance did not end there, as the Lady Lions closed out the period on a 13-2 run, capped off by a Travascio-Green 3-pointer and held Wake Forest without a field goal for the final 5:40. In the first half, the Lady Lions were perfect at the charity stripe, going 11-of-11 from the foul line.
at Penn State 38, Wake Forest 18
Third Quarter
After coming up empty on their first five possessions, the Lady Lions were able to end a 5-0 Wake Forest burst when Amari Carter (Washington, D.C.) knocked down a pull-up jumper at the 6:03 mark. Page ended a nearly four-minute field goal drought later in the frame when she knocked down an open three with 1:25 left to play. The Blue and White scored eight of their 13 points in the quarter from the free throw line.
at Penn State 51, Wake Forest 35
Fourth Quarter
The Demon Deacons cut the deficit to 11 with 4:57 to play when Udoh scored six consecutive Demon Deacon points. Travascio-Green answered with a quick layup and after a few empty possessions for both sides, Penna knocked down a 3-pointer to make it a 10-point game with 3:07 to play. After McDaniel made one-of-two free throws for Penn State, a layup by Raegyn Branch and two Tyra Whitehead free throws cut the PSU lead to seven points with 1:11 to play. Page sealed the deal for the Lady Lions when she was fouled making a jumper and converted the and-one in the closing seconds of the contest.
at Penn State 68, Wake Forest 58
Up Next
Penn State will host Manhattan in a matinee at the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday, Dec. 3. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and tickets are available by calling 1-800-NITTANY or visiting the Bryce Jordan Center box office. 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.