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Craig Houtz

Lady Lion Defense Shuts Down Illinois, 62-48

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Coquese Washington and Penn State Student-Athlete Quotes

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Stingy defense and a balanced team effort led the Penn State women's basketball team to a 62-48 victory over Illinois in Big Ten action Saturday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center.
 
The Lady Lions trailed by nine with just over three minutes to play in the first half, but a 16-0 run that spanned 6:48 of the second and third quarters gave the Lady Lions the separation they would need. Penn State then outscored the Illini 21-12 in the fourth quarter to pull away for the 62-48 win.
 
Sophomore Alisia Smith led the team with her second-straight double-double thanks to squad-best marks of 14 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Teniya Page followed with 13 points and a team-high seven assists, while Siyeh Frazier chipped in 11 points.  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Frazier scored Penn State's first six points as the Lady Lions and Illini were tied at 6-6 after the first five minutes of play. Seven points from Alex Wittinger fueled an 11-4 Illinois run in the final 4:28 of the quarter to give the Illini a 17-10 lead after one term.
  • The second quarter started much the same, as the teams were a combined 2-for-13 from the floor to open the stanza.  Illinois' Arieal Scott hit a three-pointer with 3:10 to play in the half that put the Illini ahead 25-16. But the Penn State offense heated up down the stretch as five different Lady Lions scored in the final 2:53 to comprise a 10-0 half-closing streak that gave Penn State a 26-25 edge at the half.
  • Penn State picked up right where it left off in the second half as the Lady Lions scored the stanza's first six points to stretch their run to 16-0 and their lead to 32-25 just over three minutes into the term. The Lady Lion lead reached as much as eight, but Illinois responded with eight of the next 11 points to pull within three at 39-36 with 1:19 left on the clock. A jumper from senior Amari Carter ended the term to put Penn State up 41-36 heading into the final quarter.


  • The Illini were within four at 48-44 just over four minutes into the fourth quarter, but a Frazier three-pointer was followed by a pair of Page free throws and a layup from freshman Karisma Ortiz as Penn State's 7-0 run put the Lady Lions ahead by double-digits at 55-44 with just over three minutes to play.


  • Illinois hit two free throws, but seven more unanswered Penn State points followed to stretch the Lady Lion edge to 62-46 with 1:24 to play. The Illini hit the final basket, but Penn State walked away with

 
KEY NOTES

(1/12/2019) Lady Lions Defeat Illinois 62-48

  • Penn State's defense held its opposition to fewer than 50 points for the first time since Jan. 16, 2017 when the Lady Lions kept Wisconsin to 46 points.
  • The Lady Lions held Illinois to its second-lowest scoring output of the season. The Illini were only able to muster 45 points against Northwestern on Dec. 31.
  • Penn State captured its seventh-straight win over Illinois and improves to 37-15 all-time against the Illini and 19-3 at home against Illinois.
  • Penn State has won its last four 2 p.m. games and outscored its opponents by a total of 69 points in those four games.
  • The Lady Lions held Illinois scoreless for a consecutive 6:48 (final 3:10 in the second quarter and beginning 3:38 in the third).
  • Page has now scored in double-digits in every game this season.
  • Smith recorded her fifth double-double of the season.
  • Freshman Karisma Ortiz set a career high in steals (3) and Big Ten career highs in points (6), assists (5), field goals made (2) and minutes played (17).
  • Junior Jaida Travascio-Green made one three-pointer to tie Brianna O'Rourke for tenth on the all-time 3-point field goals made with 120.

 
STAT STANDOUTS

  • Penn State held Illinois to a 32.7 percent (18-for-55) field goal percentage, and the Illini were just 19.0 percent (4-for-21) from three-point range.
  • The Lady Lions shot 40.0 percent (23-for-57) from the floor and 78.6 percent (11-for-14) from the charity stripe.
  • The Lady Lions scored 14 points off 17 Illinois turnovers.
  • Penn State dished 15 assists compared to its 12 turnovers.

 
COACH'S TAKE
Head Coach Coquese Washington

  • "I thought we had a better second half and came out with a lot of energy. Our defensive intensity went up a notch, and that helped us get going offensively. I just hope we can build off that as we get ready for Ohio State."
  • "The second half started with our defense. I felt like they got a little too comfortable early in the game offensively. We cranked it up a little bit defensively. I thought early in the game we were getting good shots that just didn't fall down, but we made a concerted effort in the second half to look for and try to get better shots. I thought we did that in the second half and were able to make more baskets."
  • Full transcript



 
UP NEXT

  • The Lady Lions remain home to host Ohio State Thursday night.
  • Tipoff from the Bryce Jordan Center is set for 7 p.m.