Dec. 17, 2017
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PITTSBURGH, Pa. --The Penn State women's basketball team weathered an early 10-1 run by Pittsburgh and answered with 17 unanswered points to end the first quarter on its way to a 59-48 victory inside the Petersen Events Center on Sunday (Dec. 17) afternoon.
It was a rocky first 5:30 of the game for the Lady Lions (9-3), as Pittsburgh (6-5) raced out to a 10-1 edge with 4:30 to play in the opening frame. That lead quickly disappeared, as Penn State reeled of 17-straight points to end the frame and it later fought off a couple of Panther rallies to come away with the victory, improving to 3-1 in true road games.
Junior Teniya Page (Chicago, Ill.) scored 17 of her game-high 27 points in the second half -- including eight-straight points late in the fourth quarter -- for her 24th career 20-point game and third of the season. She added three steals, two rebounds and one assist in 38 minutes.
With her 27 points, Page moved up one spot on the career scoring charts, passing Bethany Collins (1,186; 1985-88) for No. 26 all-time. She also became the 26th Lady Lion to reach 1,200 career points, ending the game with 1,210 career tallies.
Sophomore Siyeh Frazier (Detroit, Mich.) reached double-figures for the sixth time in 2017-18 with 12 points, joining Page as Penn State's only two double-digit scorers. Frazier hit 4-of-7 shots from the field and 4-of-5 free throws.
Turning Point
With 0:02 left in the second quarter
After Pittsburgh trimmed Penn State's lead from double-figures to just three points with a little over one minute to play, Teniya Page hit a jumper as time expired in the first half to push the Lady Lion edge to five points. The Blue and White the scored eight-straight points to open the third quarter and build a 13-point advantage.
Difference Makers
Penn State
- G Teniya Page -- Posted her 24th career 20-point game with 27 tallies on 10-of-18 shooting, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range. She added three steals, two rebounds and one assist.
- G Siyeh Frazier --Hit 4-of-7 shots from the field and 4-of-5 free throws to register 12 points. Added three rebounds and one steal.
- Stiff Defense --Penn State posted seven more steals, forcing Pittsburgh into 17 turnovers on the afternoon.
- Bench Points --Penn State outscored Pittsburgh 17-1 off the bench on the afternoon, with 12 of those coming from Frazier.
Pittsburgh
- F Danielle Garven -- Posted a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
- G Kauai Bradley -- Scored a team-high 15 points on four 3-pointers and two three free throws.
- Foul Trouble -- Pittsburgh's two leading scorers were held in check by Penn State's defense, but also were hampered by foul trouble in the first half. Kalista Walters scored all five of her points in the opening minutes of the game and fouled out in the fourth quarter, while Yacine Diop scored nine points, grabbed five rebounds and had four assists in just 28 minutes.
First Quarter
Pitt opened the scoring on a Diop layup to start an 8-1 run to open the game forcing a Penn State timeout with 5:43 to play. Following a few empty possessions, Pittsburgh's Walters made it a nine-point lead, 10-1, for the Panthers with a layup. The Lady Lions answered with a 16-0 run to close the quarter, including a layup from Frazier at the horn to make it 17-10 in favor of the Blue and White after 10 minutes.
Penn State 17, at Pittsburgh 10
Second Quarter
The second quarter was a quarter of spurts and dry spells for each team, as Penn State opened the second frame on a 7-3 run to build an 11-point advantage with 6:22 to play in the opening half. The Lady Lions then went over six minutes without a field goal -- netting just one free throw in that span -- and Pitt cut the PSU lead to just three points, 24-21. The cold-streak ended when Page hit an off-balance jumper as the horn sounded to send Penn State into the break leading by five points.
Penn State 27, at Pittsburgh 22
Third Quarter
The Lady Lions scored eight-straight points coming out of the locker room to build a 13-point lead, 35-22, with 7:14 to play in the quarter. Pittsburgh answered with a 9-2 spurt to make it a six-point contest, 37-31, with 2:54 left in the third. Penn State pushed the lead back to 13 points, 46-33, on a Kamaria McDaniel (Inkster, Mich.) 3-pointer with 45 seconds left in the stanza, before a pair of Danielle Garven free throws capped the scoring in the frame.
Penn State 46, at Pittsburgh 35
Fourth Quarter
After an and-1 from Frazier opened the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh scored eight-straight points to bring them within six points, 49-43, with 6:17 to play. However, it was a toughness down the stretch that closed out the victory for Penn State, as the Lady Lions finished the game by hitting the final four field goal attempts -- including a pair of 3-pointers by Page -- and holding Pittsburgh scoreless for the final 2:25 of the game.
Penn State 59, at Pittsburgh 48
Up Next
Penn State continues its four-game road swing in our Nation's capital when they tangle with American University on Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 1 p.m. Fans who cannot make it to the game can catch all the action live on the airwaves of the Penn State Radio Network.