Feb. 4, 2018
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. --After a back-and-fourth first quarter, a 19-6 burst to end the second quarter propelled the Penn State's women's basketball team to a Big Ten victory over Michigan State on Sunday Feb. 4 at the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Lady Lions (14-10, 5-6 B1G) connected on 41 percent of their shots from the field to improve to 9-2 when outshooting their opponents, with the Spartans hitting just 38 percent from the field in the game. Penn State also held the edge in steals, 12-5, scoring 14 points off on the fast break.
The 12 steals marked the eighth time this season -- fourth in Big Ten play -- that Penn State reached double-digits in the category and helped the Blue and White force 20 turnovers for the fifth time this season and first in conference action.
Leading the way for Penn State was junior Teniya Page (Chicago, Ill.) with 16 points, moving into the No. 16 spot on the career scoring list, passing Jen Bednarek (1,428; 1977-80) in the game. Page hit double-figures for the 16th time this season and the 70th time in her career. The junior also passed Rashana Barnes (103; 1999-2002) for No. 44 on the career steals list with her three swipes in the game.
Redshirt-sophomore Amari Carter (Washington, D.C.) had five steals in the game tying her career high, which she has done three times this season. With her five swipes she has reached the 100-steal mark for her career and passed Lindsey Spann (99; 2015-17) and Loraine McGirt (101; 1983-85) for No. 46 on the career charts. Carter tallied 14 points in the game to go along with six assists and four rebounds.
Siyeh Frazier also hit double-figures for the Lady Lions, marking the 10th time this season and the 12th time in her career as she tied a career high with 14 points. Frazier also ended the day with five rebounds and two steals for the Blue and White.
Sophomore Jaida Travascio-Green (Lisle, Ill.) netted 14 points, allowing her to hit double-digits for the 18th time this season and 23rd time in her career. With her third 3-pointer of the day, she moved into No. 15 on the single-season list in Penn State laurels, giving her 61 makes from distance this season.
On the boards, Page and De'Janae Boykin (Springdale, Md.) each grabbed six for the Lady Lions, while Jaylen Williams (Easton, Mass.) and Frazier pulled for five each for Penn State. Defensively, the Blue and White forced MSU into 20 turnovers which led to 18 Lady Lion points.
Michigan State had two double-digit scorers, led by game a game-high 18 points from Taryn McCutcheon, who also had five assists. Sidney Cooks added 10 points, four rebounds and one assist for the Spartans.
Turning Point
With 7:09 left in the second quarter
After a 6-0 Michigan State run to start off the quarter, Carter scored two points and started Penn State on a 19-6 run which gave them a 14-point lead to end the half. The Lady Lions would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the contest, as the Spartans would never get closer than 11 points the rest of the way.
Difference Makers
Penn State
- G Teniya Page -- Led Penn State with 16 points. Went 10-of-11 at the free throw line. Added six rebounds and five assists.
- G Amari Carter--Scored 14 points with six assists and four rebounds. Led Penn State with five steals, tying her career high.
- G Jaida Travascio-Green -- Hit three 3-pointers which contributed to her 13-point game. Added three rebounds and one assist.
- G Siyeh Frazier -- Scored a career-high-tying 14 points and pulled down five rebounds.
- Forcing the TO -- Penn State forced 20 turnovers in the game, marking the fifth time this season it forced 20-plus missteps in a game and first in Big Ten play.
Michigan State
- Taryn McCutcheon -- Had a game-high 18 points. Added four rebounds and five assists.
- Sidney Cooks -- Scored 10 points, had four rebounds and one assist.
- Branndais Agee -- Pulled down a game-high eight rebounds and tallied seven points.
First Quarter
After six minutes of back-and-fourth scoring, Penn State took a 15-9 lead after back-to-back 3-pointers from Travascio-Green. Travascio-Green then hit two free throws and extended Penn State's lead to 17-9 with 4:16 left to play in the first quarter. Page and Frazier went back-to-back with two points each and led Penn State's eight-point scoring run in the last two minutes of play.
Penn State 25, Michigan State 18
Second Quarter
A 6-0 run from Michigan State to start off the second quarter pulling them within one of Penn State, 25-24, forcing the Lady Lions to call a timeout with 7:32 left in the frame. Following the timeout, Carter scored two points and Fraser hit a free throw to make it 28-24 with 5:41 left to play and spark a 9-0 run to take control of the game. The Lady Lions closed the half on a 19-6 spurt to take a 14-point lead into the locker room. Travascio-Green paced the Blue and White, scoring 13 points in the first 20 minutes of play.
Penn State 44, Michigan State 30
Third Quarter
In the first two minutes of the third quarter Penn State and Michigan State were evenly matched with both teams scoring only two points. After hitting two free throws and a jumper, Page extended Penn State's lead to 50-32 with 6:53 left to play. In the last half of the quarter, the Spartans led the scoring 12-10 but Penn State was able to maintain a 16-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
Penn State 60, Michigan State 44
Fourth Quarter
MSU scored the first five points of the quarter before Page and Frazier combined for seven points to keep Penn State in the lead. Both teams went back-and-forth for the last five minutes, as the Lady Lions outscore the Spartans, 10-8, using six made free throws from Page.
Penn State 74, Michigan State 59
Up Next
Penn State takes to the road for its next two games beginning with a showdown against Iowa on Thursday Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. ET inside the Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will be carried on BTN2go.com and the BTN2go app, as well as on the airwaves of the Penn State Radio Network.