Jan. 23, 2018
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State women's basketball team secured its third-straight victory and evened its Big Ten mark with a 68-59 win over Illinois Tuesday, Jan. 23 at the Bryce Jordan Center.
After the Fighting Illini (9-13, 0-8 B1G) held the lead for most of the first quarter, the Lady Lions (13-8, 4-4 B1G) closed the frame on a 10-1 spurt and a Teniya Page (Chicago, Ill.) 3-pointer with nine second left gave the Blue and White a lead it would not relinquish.
Three Penn State players reached double-digits as Page lead the team with 18 points, Amari Carter (Washington, D.C.) finished the game with 12 points and Jaida Travascio-Green (Lisle, Ill.) posted 10 points.
Page's 18 points mark her 13th time reaching double-digits this season, and 67th time in her career. The Chicago, Illinois native also led the team with four assist and her two steals made her the 46th member of the 100-steal club at Penn State.
Jaylen Williams (Easton, Mass.) scored a personal Big Ten-best nine points and tallied a team-best two blocks, which moved her past Peyton Whitted and into the No. 23 spot in Penn State laurels with 50 career blocks.
Siyeh Frazier (Detroit, Mich.) tied her Big Ten high in steals and assists with two a piece, while contributing six points to the Penn State scoring effort.
De'Janae Boykin (Springdale, Md.) pulled in a team-best 10 rebounds, registering five-or-more rebounds in all 18 games she has played this season. Her 10 boards also mark the second-straight game and seventh time this season which she has posted double-digit caroms.
Leading the Fighting Illini was Alex Wittinger with a triple double scoring 18 points, pulling down 10 rebounds and blocking 11 shots. Cierra Rice netted ten points for Illinois and Brandi Beasley added 15 points and four rebounds.
Turning Point
With 0:09 left in the first quarter
The Fighting Illini held the lead for most of the first quarter, before the Lady Lions tied the score on a layup by Travascio-Green off an out-of-bounds play. Then, with just nine seconds left on the clock, Page stole a pass and netted a transition 3-pointer to give Penn State the lead for the first time in the game, a lead in which it never relinquished.
Difference Makers
Penn State
- G Teniya Page -- Poured in a team-high 18 points with three 3-pointers, six rebounds, four assists and two steals
- G Amari Carter -- Added 12 points along with two assists and one steal
- G Jaida Travascio-Green -- Scored 10 points for the Lady Lions. Grabbed two rebounds and added one block.
- G Siyeh Frazier -- Scored six points with three rebounds and two steals.
- F De'Janae Boykin - Grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. Added four points and one steal.
- F Jaylen Williams - Netted nine points and snagged seven rebounds.
- B1G Lead -- The Lady Lions held the lead for 30 minutes throughout the game.
- Second Chances -- Penn State scored 23 second chance points compared to Illinois' four.
- Forcing Turnovers -- The Lady Lions forced 16 turnovers which turned into 17 points off of Illinois miscues.
Illinois
- F Alex Wittinger -- Secured a triple-double with 18 points, 11 blocks, and 10 rebounds.
- G Brandi Beasley - Scored 15 points with three assists and four rebounds.
- G Cierra Rice - Added 10 points, draining two 3-pointers.
- G Courtney Joens- Scored nine points and snagged two rebounds and one steal.
First Quarter
After winning the tipoff, Illinois went on a five-point run to open the game and force the Lady Lions to call a timeout. It took the Lady Lions roughly two minutes to put their first points on the board with two foul shots from Carter before a fast break on an Illinois half court turnover allowed the Penn State to draw within one. The Fighting Illini pushed their lead to six points, 10-4, with 6:28 to play, but the Lady Lions outscored them 1-01 the rest of the way to eventually take a three-point lead after the opening 10 minutes. The two teams were deadlocked at 11 points for 3:10 before Page netted a 3-pointer to put the Lady Lions ahead with nine seconds left in the first quarter.
at Penn State 14, Illinois 11
Second Quarter
Penn State started the second quarter like they ended the first, with a Page 3-pointer, as the two teams traded buckets over the first seven minutes of the frame. With 3:25 left in the second quarter, Penn State would go on a 9-0 run, capped by a fast break finish by Frazier put the Lady Lions up 11, 30-19, with 1:14 to play. Illinois ended the half on a four-point run to close the gap, 30-23, heading into halftime.
at Penn State 30, Illinois 23
Third Quarter
Illinois scored the first points of the half, but Penn State was quick to answer with back-to-back 3-pointers by Carter and Travascio-Green to put the Lady Lions lead back in double-digits. Penn State maintained its lead for the rest of the quarter, never allowing Illinois within five the rest of the way.
at Penn State 48, Illinois 39
Fourth Quarter
The Lady Lions stopped the Illini for roughly half of the fourth quarter, while a 3-pointer from Travascio-Green brought the Lady Lions to their largest lead of the game at 15 points with 2:54 to play. Late in the fourth quarter, Illinois went on an eight-point run to come within seven, but free throws helped the Blue and White earn its third-straight victory. The Lady Lions made 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch to fight off the Illinois comeback attempt.
at Penn State 68, Illinois 59
Up Next
Penn State takes to the road for its next two games, beginning with a showdown on the Big Ten Network against Purdue on Sunday, Jan. 31 at 12 p.m. inside the Mackey Arena. The game will also be carried on the airwaves of the Penn State Radio Network.