UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team came out on the short end of a back-and-forth battle that saw 13 lead changes and 12 tie scores as Minnesota used a strong fourth quarter to come away with an 85-76 win in Big Ten action Monday night at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Senior Johnasia Cash and sophomore Makenna Marisa put together huge performances as Cash finished with a season-best 22 points and 15 points for her fourth double-double of the year. Marisa led all scorers with 25 points, just one point shy of her career high. Senior Niya Beverley was also impressive, finishing with eight points, eight assists, four rebounds and no turnovers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Minnesota hit three of its first four three-point attempts to get out to a quick 17-10 lead midway through the first quarter. Penn State responded with the next seven points thanks to baskets from Cash and Marisa and a three-pointer from Tova Sabel that knotted the score at 17 with two minutes to play in the opening term. The Gophers then took a slim 21-19 lead into the second quarter.
- Minnesota stretched its lead to 27-22 two minutes into the second term, but five points from Marisa and a Sabel layup followed as Penn State's 7-0 streak put the Lady Lions ahead 29-27. Penn State's lead reached as much as 37-32 after a pair of and-ones from Cash and Beverley before the Gophers closed the half on a 9-2 run to take a 41-39 lead at the break.
- Penn State took control at the opening and closing moments of the third quarter to take a 60-53 lead into the fourth. The Lady Lions opened the quarter with an 8-0 run thanks to a layup by Cash and back-to-back three-pointers from Marisa. Penn State ended the quarter with a 6-0 run as freshman Maddie Burke hit two three-pointers in a span of 35 seconds, the second coming with 50 seconds showing on the clock. Penn State out-scored the Gophers 21-12 in the third term.
- Penn State clung to the lead until Minnesota's Jasmine Powell hit from long range to put the Gophers up 68-67 with 4:42 left in the game, which capped an 11-0 run. The game remained close into the final minutes as Marisa made a bucket and a free throw to tie the game at 72-all with 3:08 to play, but the Gophers scored 13 of the game's final 17 points to pull away for the win.
KEY NOTES
- Cash is the fourth Penn State player to score 20-plus points in a game this season. Her 22 points were her season high and marked her ninth double-digit scoring game of the season.
- Cash recorded double-digit rebounds for a team-leading fourth time this season. She also posted a team-best fourth double-double. It was her third double-double in four games.
- Marisa scored 20-plus points for the third time this season and has scored in double-figures seven times.
- Beverley's eight assists were a season high and were just one short of her career high of nine that she set while playing with Wisconsin. She finished with eight assists to zero turnovers.
- Second-chance points played a pivotal role in the game as Minnesota turned 17 offensive rebounds into 28 points. Penn State had 16 points on 13 offensive boards.
- The Lady Lions held a large advantage in fast-break points, scoring 19 compared to the Gophers' five.
- Penn State and Minnesota played for the second time in 15 days. The Lions won the first meeting, 69-60, on Jan. 10 in Minneapolis.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Carolyn Kieger
- "We had a great third quarter that I was really proud of. I thought it was one of our best third quarters, followed by one of our worst fourth quarters. We have to toughen up, we have to have a team that can command and direct and slow the pace down when we need to."
- "We have to keep learning and growing the basketball IQ for our team. Johnasia Cash had another monster game and I thought Makenna Marisa was locked in on the offensive end."
- "A lot of things to fix. Credit Minnesota for their tough finish. We have to learn from it and be ready to play four quarters against Illinois."
UP NEXT
- Penn State hits the road for its next two contests, beginning with a 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT Thursday night showdown at Illinois.