UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team shot nearly 60 percent from the floor but fell 82-71 against No. 17 Maryland on Sunday afternoon in the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State is now 9-11 overall and 3-7 in the Big Ten, while Maryland is 15-6 overall and 7-3 in conference play.
Makenna Marisa led the Lady Lions with 19 points, on 8-of-13 from the floor, and five assists. Kelly Jekot contributed a season-high 16 points, going 6-of-11 from the field and hitting four three-pointers. She added five assists and two steals. Leilani Kapinus earned her eighth-consecutive double-figure scoring game with 14 points to go with seven rebounds and three blocks. Penn State outscored the Terrapins, 42-34, in the second half.
Penn State shot 59.2 percent from the field (29-49) and 8-of-19 from three (42 percent). The Lady Lions shot 50 percent or above in each quarter, including 64 percent in the third quarter and 66 percent in the fourth quarter. It was Penn State's highest overall field goal percentage in a Big Ten game since February 20, 2013 vs. Illinois (33-of-54, 61.1 percent).
However, Penn State committed 24 turnovers, resulting in 23 points off turnovers for Maryland.
The Terrapins were paced by Diamond Miller's 19 points. Chloe Bibby recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Angel Reese had 16 points, while Mimi Collins notched 14 off the bench. Maryland shot 47 percent from the field (35-of-75).
A back-and forth opening fourth minutes resulted in a tie at 8-8 at the 6:07 mark. Maryland went on a short 6-0 run, including a pair of jumpers by Collins. Back-to-back threes by Marisa evened the game back up at 14-14 with 2:33 left in the quarter. However, Maryland ended the period on a 13-0 run, featuring seven points by Bibby. Penn State trailed 27-14 after one.
Penn State scored seven of the first 10 points of the second quarter. Jekot contributed a three and a jumper, while Marisa added a jump shot. Penn State cut the deficit to 30-21 with 7:15 remaining in the half. Maryland responded with an 11-4 run to hold a 41-25 lead with 3:18 to go in the half. Five Terrapins scored during that stretch, concluding with a three by Katie Benzan. The Terrapins led 48-29 going into halftime.
A tight third quarter saw the teams trading buckets until a jumper by Reese pushed the Terrapins' lead to 61-45. A 7-0 run by the Lady Lions cut the deficit to single digits, 61-52, with 31 seconds left in the period. A jumper by Kayla Thomas, a layup by Kapinus and a three by Jekot made up the run. Penn State trailed 64-52 after three quarters.
After a layup by Shyanne Sellers to begin the fourth quarter, Penn State climbed back to within single digits with a jumper by Marisa, layups by Kapinus and Thomas and a three by Jekot. Penn State trailed 69-61 with 7:13 remaining. Layups by Ali Brigham and Anna Camden and a free throw by Kapinus helped Penn State to stay within single-digits at 75-66 with 3:52 to go. Maryland answered with a jumper by Reese and a layup by Sellers to push the margin to 11 and held that for the final score.
The Lady Lions travel to Nebraska on Thursday, February 3. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
Penn State is hosting its 16th annual Play4Kay Game Benefiting Pink Zone on Sunday, February 6 against Northwestern. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Kelly Jekot