COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Penn State women's basketball team fell 78-55 at No. 17 Ohio State on Thursday at the Schottenstein Center. The Lady Lions dropped to 11-16 overall and 5-12 in the Big Ten, while the Buckeyes improved to 21-5 overall and 13-4 in conference play.
Leilani Kapinus recorded her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds to go with three assists, two steals and a block. Niya Beverley led PSU with 12 points, on five-of-nine shooting, while Makenna Marisa had 10 points. Penn State shot 31 percent from the floor (19-of-62) and 18 percent from three (4-of-22).
With 10 points, Marisa has now 602 this season. She became the sixth Lady Lion (10 occasions) to reach 600 points in a season. She's the first Lady Lion to accomplish the feat since Teniya Page (618 in 2016-17).
Taylor Mikesell led Ohio State with 19 points and seven rebounds. Tanaya Beacham scored 18 points off the bench. Rebeka Mikulasikova and Jacy Sheldon each had eight points. Ohio State shot 42 percent from the field (32-of-76) and 5-of-25 from three.
Penn State jumped out to an early 5-0 lead with a jumper by Marisa and a three by Kelly Jekot. Ohio State answered with a 14-0 run, including four points each by Mikesell, Mikulasikova and Taylor Thierry, to hold a 14-5 advantage at the 3:20 mark. Penn State cut the deficit to six with a layup by Marisa and a three by Maddie Burke, sandwiched around a pair of Buckeye free throws. After a jumper by Beacham, a three-point play by Kapinus closed out the quarter with PSU trailing 18-13.
The Lady Lions started the second quarter on a 7-0 run. Hagans collected three points, while Beverley and Marisa had two each to give Penn State a 20-18 lead with 6:05 left in the half. However, the Buckeyes responded with a 12-0 run, including five points by Mikesell and three by Beacham. After a pair of free throws by Anna Camden, OSU's Beacham scored on back-to-back layups. Ohio State led 34-22 at the break.
Ohio State extended its lead to 38-22 to begin the third quarter. PSU answered with a layup by Kapinus and a three by Beverley to trim the deficit to 38-27 at the 6:47 mark. A 7-2 run by OSU, including a three by Miller, brought their lead back 16, 45-29, with 4:57 remaining. Penn State trailed 51-36 after three quarters.
The Buckeyes scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter but PSU answered with a free throw by Beverley and a three-point play by Kapinus. A few minutes later, a 6-1 run by Penn State, including layups by Beverley and Camden, cut the deficit to 64-46 with 5:12 remaining. Ohio State closed out the game with the final margin, 78-55.
The Lady Lions return home for Senior Day on Sunday against Minnesota. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. on B1G+.
Leilani Kapinus