March 19, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- After coming up empty on its first four possessions, the Penn State women's basketball program reeled off a 15-0 run and held Fordham to just four points in the opening 10 minutes to take a commanding lead on its way to a 70-51 victory in the second round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament.
Fordham opened the scoring, but was held scoreless for a 6:28 stretch in the opening frame, allowing Penn State to build a 17-4 advantage after 10 minutes. Penn State never looked back, building a a 21-point lead at the half to help them advance to the third round of the WNIT vs. Virginia Tech on Thursday, March 23 inside the Bryce Jordan Center at 7 p.m.
The victory ties the school record for wins at home in a single season matching the total by the 2002-03 team that went 16-0 at home. This year, the Lady Lions are 16-1 when playing in the Bryce Jordan Center.
Sophomore Teniya Page (Chicago, Ill.) set a Penn State program record for points in a WNIT contest with 24 tallies, making it 15-straight games scoring in the double digits. She has reached 10 points in 28-of-30 games this season and her nine made field goals are also a PSU record for makes in a WNIT contest.
Page surpassed Tyra Grant's 23-point effort vs. Hofstra in 2010 and topped a mark shared by teammate Sierra Moore (Hanover, Pa.) and Helen Darling, who each made eight field goals. Moore tied Darling's mark in the opening round of the event vs. Ohio.
Redshirt freshman Amari Carter (Washington D.C.) scored 15 points, her seventh double-figure scoring game of the season and second-straight to begin the WNIT. Carter also added five assists, tying Page for No. 5 on the Penn State freshman season assists charts with 131 helpers.
True freshman Jaida Travascio-Green (Lisle, Ill.) had a solid game with nine points, two rebounds and two blocked shots. Travascio-Green tied three other Lady Lions for the most 3-pointers made in a WNIT game, going 3-for-4 from distance. Her .750 shooting clip is a new standard for WNIT games in Penn State laurels and her two blocked shots tie teammate Jaylen Williams (Easton, Mass.) and Andrea Garner for the most blocked shots in a WNIT contest.
As a team, Penn State set four WNIT program records. With six makes from 3-point range, the Lady Lions topped the five makes vs. St. Joseph's on March 15, 1998 and the .545 clip from 3-point range is better than the .444 (4-of-9) shooting percentage from distance against Baylor in the 1998 championship game. Penn State also shot a WNIT program-best .491 from the field and .833 from the charity stripe.
Turning Point
With 07:23 left in the first quarter
After taking nearly three minutes to score, the Lady Lions opened their scoring after a steal by Amari Carter leading to a fast break layup for Teniya Page that sparked a 15-0 run. That scoring spurt including five consecutive makes by Penn State, as the Lady Lions forced six Fordham turnovers and held the Rams to 0-for-11 from the field.
Difference Makers
Penn State
- G Teniya Page -- Posted her 15th-straight double-figure scoring game with a Penn State WNIT-record 24 points while shooting 50 percent from the field. Added one rebound and one assist, with zero turnovers.
- G Amari Carter --Notched 15 points, five rebounds, and a team-high five assists.
- G Sierra Moore -- Scored 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Added five rebounds, two assists and one steal.
- F Peyton Whitted -- Grabbed a team-high seven rebounds off the bench. Chipped in five points.
- F Jaida Travascio-Green -- Scored nine points all from beyond the arc, shooting 3-of-4 from the 3-point line to tie the Penn State WNIT record for 3-pointers made in a game.
- Getting out in Transition --Penn State was able to score 12 points on the fast break while not allowing any transition points to the Rams.
- Red Hot --Penn State set WNIT program bests for field goal percentage (.491), 3-point field goal percentage (.545) and free throw percentage (.833).
Fordham
- F G'mrice Davis -- Scored 20 points including 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Collected 15 rebounds.
- G Hannah Missry --Notched 12 points all from beyond the arc.
- Controlling the Glass --Outrebounded Penn State 43-32 in the game, including 23 offensive rebounds.
By Quarter
First Quarter
After coming up empty on their first four possessions, Penn State opened scoring after an Amari Carter steal that lead to a Teniya Page fast break layup. That play sparked a 15-0 run where the Lady Lions hit on five consecutive field goals. Fordham had seven first quarter turnovers and was held to just 13-percent shooting from the field. Page lead the way with seven points in the quarter and closed out the opening 10 minutes connecting on a jumper with 12 seconds left. The four points for Fordham are the fewest allowed in a quarter by a Penn State team since the NCAA moved to quarters last season.
at Penn State 17, Fordham 4
Second Quarter
Penn State's strong first quarter carried into the second as they outscored Fordham 16-8. Penn State scored the first 10 points of the quarter and help Fordham off the board for the first 4:56 of the second stanza. The Lady Lions shot 50 percent in the quarter, paced by Page's 13 points at the first half. Peyton Whitted (Suwanee, Ga.) came off the bench to grab five rebounds to lead the Lady Lions in the opening 20 minutes.
at Penn State 33, Fordham 12
Third Quarter
Penn State took no time getting things going in the second half as Jaida Travascio-Green knocked down an open 3-pointer on the Lady Lions' first possession. The Lady Lions' first six points of the quarter came on back-to-back 3-pointers by Travascio-Green and Page making the team a perfect two for two from beyond in the quarter. Penn State was red-hot from the field shooting 75 percent in the quarter and held Fordham without a field goal for a 4:23 stretch in the third. Carter had a strong period scoring eight of Penn State's 22 points.
at Penn State 55, Fordham 32
Fourth Quarter
Fordham would outscore the Lady Lions in the fourth quarter, 19-15, but the surge would not be enough. G'mrice Davis had seven fourth quarter points for the Rams, while Hannah Missry hit a pair of shots from 3-point range in the frame. The Lady Lions were able to control the basketball with no turnovers in the quarter and just one in the second half.
at Penn State 70, Fordham 51
Up Next
Penn State will host Virginia Tech at the Bryce Jordan Center in the third round of the WNIT on Thursday, March 23 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available via ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-NITTANY between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekdays.
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