UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Alisia Smith poured in a team high 14 points including eight in a strong second half to lead the Penn State Lady Lions to a 62-48 victory over Illinois on Saturday.
A 10-0 run to end the first half gave Penn State its first lead of the day 26-25 at the break and sparked a strong second half where the Lady Lions pulled away in the fourth quarter.
"It started with our defense," head coach Coquese Washington said. "I felt like (Illinois) got a little too comfortable coming into the game offensively so we cranked it up defensively and I think it helped us. I think early in the game we were getting good shots that just didn't fall down. We made a concerted effort in the second half to look for and get better shots and I thought we did that in the second half and get more baskets because we were hunting better shots."
The run continued in the second half with a fast six Lady Lion points and the defense took over from there. The defense held an Illini squad that averages over 70 points a game to less than 50 for just the third time this season.
Another emphasis for the Lady Lions was on defensive rebounding, pinpointing Illini forward Alex Wittinger as a big threat averaging 3.2 offensive rebounds entering the matchup.
"I think it was just a major emphasis to make sure we were all doing our jobs and I do my job was to make sure they don't get any offensive boards," freshman guard Karisma Ortiz said "Just making sure I was getting a body on (Alex) Wittinger because we know she is a great offensive rebounder. I just had the mentality of do my job and everything else will just fall into place. It definitely was a big role to take on but I trusted my teammates with everything else."
Both sophomore forward Alisia Smith and Karisma Ortiz were tasked with controlling the glass and Smith corralled a game high 11 rebounds to complete a double-double.
"It felt good because I knew my team was counting on me to score down low and get the offense rebounds and things like that," Smith said. "It was just in the flow of the game and just knowing I had to step up."
Smith's impact was huge on a night where she not only filled up the stat sheet but also did it efficiently, shooting 6-of-8 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free throw line.
"I feel the consistency is growing, when you have a player like (Alisia Smith) who can get a double-double consistently that kind of helps," Washington said. "We have Teniya who even on a bad night she's going to get 15 or 18 points and that helps. I think we are growing in certain areas with our consistency and I think our confidence is just going to continue to improve throughout the rest of conference play."
Washington and her Lady Lions return to action against Ohio State on Thursday at the Bryce Jordan Center.
