Lady Lions Drop Tough 78-73 Battle At Ohio StateLady Lions Drop Tough 78-73 Battle At Ohio State
Mark Selders/Penn State Athletics

Lady Lions Drop Tough 78-73 Battle At Ohio State

Box Score

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State scored the game's final six points to hand the Penn State women's basketball team a tough 78-73 defeat in a back-and-forth Big Ten battle Wednesday night.
 
Senior Teniya Page led the Lady Lions with 22 points and seven assists. In the process, she became the first-ever Lady Lion to eclipse the 2,000 career points, 400 career rebounds and 400 career assists milestones. The senior standout also notched her 100th career double-digit scoring game.
 
Junior Siyeh Frazier followed with a career high-tying 17 points to go along with six rebounds and two steals.










HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Penn State's defense was its strength in the back-and-forth first quarter as the Lady Lions struggled to find their offensive rhythm but forced six Buckeye turnovers. Frazier contributed eight points in the term as OSU took a slim 14-12 lead heading into the second quarter.
  • The Buckeyes scored the first four points of the second term to stretch their lead to six, but a conventional three-point play from sophomore Kamaria McDaniel sparked a 7-0 Penn State streak that gave the Lady Lions their first lead of the day at 19-18 with 7:13 left on the clock.
  • The teams exchanged runs for the remainder of the opening half as the lead changed hands three times, but the game ended up going into the break knotted at 29-29.
  • The Buckeyes opened the second half with back-to-back three-pointers to take a 35-29 advantage and force a Penn State timeout at the 8:27 mark.
  • The Lady Lions scored six of the next eight points out of the timeout to pull within two at 37-35 with 6:07 left on the third-quarter clock, but the Buckeyes rattled off a 12-4 streak over the next three minutes to jump ahead 49-39.
  • Page took over the last 2:39 of the quarter as the senior scored eight points to fuel a 12-2 term-closing streak that tied the score at 51-51 heading into the final stanza.
  • The Lady Lions didn't allow a Buckeye field goal for the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, but OSU scored eight points from the free throw line before Carmen Grande converted a layup to give Ohio State a 61-57 lead with 5:26 to play.
  • A three-pointer from senior Amari Carter and free throws from Page and Frazier comprised a 7-1 run over the next minute and a half that gave Penn State a 64-62 edge with 4:11 left on the clock.
  • The score was tied two times in the next two minutes before OSU used four-straight points to take a 72-68 lead and force a Penn State timeout. Junior Jaida Travascio-Green hit a huge three-pointer with 1:20 to play before Frazier followed with a jumper at the 30 second mark to put Penn State up by one at 73-72.
  • Ohio State's Grande converted a layup on OSU's next possession as the Buckeyes went up by one at 74-73 with 21.7 seconds left.
  • A Penn State shot was blocked on the Lady Lions ensuing possession and Penn State was forced to foul down the stretch. OSU went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe in the final 14 seconds to seal the 78-73 win.

 
KEY NOTES

  • With her seven assists, Page moved her career assists total to 402 to become the first-ever Lady Lion to eclipse all three of the 2,000 points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists milestones.
  • Only one other active Division I player has recorded 2,000 points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists. Central Michigan's Presley Hudson had tallied 2,032 points, 469 rebounds and 562 assists prior to tonight's game.
  • Page recorded her 39th-straight double-digit effort and the 100th double-figure performance of her career.  
  • Frazier's 17 points tied her career high and marked a new Big Ten career high. Frazier also scored 17 against Cal and St. Bonaventure this season.
  • The Lady Lions turned the ball over just eight times, the second-lowest mark of the season. Penn State had just five turnovers against American on Dec. 16.

 
STAT STANDOUTS

  • Free throw shooting proved to be a huge difference as Ohio State was sent to the line 32 times compared to Penn State's 18.
  • The Buckeyes shot 78.1 percent (25-for-32) from the charity stripe, while Penn State was 88.9 percent (16-for-18).
  • OSU was 18-for-22 (81.8 percent) from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
  • OSU shot 49.0 percent (24-for-49) from the field compared to Penn State's 41.3 percent (26-for-63) clip.
  • Penn State held a 19-2 edge in bench points, and a 14-4 advantage in fast-break points.

 
UP NEXT

  • Penn State returns home to host Michigan at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Lady Lions' 13th-annual Play4Kay Game Benefitting Pink Zone.