COLLEGE PARK, Md.- Penn State women's basketball falls to Maryland to split the 2023-24 series 1-1. After defeating Maryland 112-76 a few weeks ago, the Terrapins came away with game two. The final score of the contest was 77-62 as the Lady Lions fall to 16-10, 7-8 Big Ten and the Terrapins improve to 15-10, 7-7 Big Ten.
Senior forward Ali Brigham led the team in scoring with 14 points, shooting 7-of-8 from the field. She also grabbed six rebounds. Senior+ Makenna Marisa was the other double figure scorer for Penn State with her 13 points, all of which came from beyond the arc and from the free throw line.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Ashley Owusu made herself right at home on a steal and score for the opening points of the game. Maryland responded with back-to-back baskets including one from three-point range to move in front of the Lady Lions. A Brigham layup in the paint off a pass from Ciezki and an offensive take for PSU on the opposite end of the court allowed Moriah Murray to sink a three and regain the lead. Back-and-forth play with only Maryland able to capitalize gave the home team a 9-7 lead into the media timeout.
A basket from Brigham out of the break tied the score again at nines. Alli Campbell's defense forced a turnover on the Terrapins offensive end allowing, Kapinus to score on the other side. A 7-0 Maryland run closed out the first quarter at a score of 19-13 with the Terps ahead.
Second Quarter
Marisa led the offensive charge for the Lady Lions to bring them within one point using a pair of free throws and a deep three ball. The Penn State defense held Maryland from field goal scoring for nearly five minutes of the quarter, only posting one point from the charity stripe through that time frame. Murray took an offensive foul on the defensive side to give Penn State the ball coming out of the media timeout and the Lady Lions capitalized on a cross court feed from Campbell to Murray who sunk her second three pointer of the day.
Owusu tied up the score at 26-26 using a three-point play but Maryland responded with two points on the other side of the court to recapture the lead going into halftime at a 28-26 advantage.
Third Quarter
Ali Brigham scored back-to-back baskets to tie the score at 30-30 coming out of the break to spark a 10-2 run for PSU. Marisa sank two three pointers in consecutive fashion to pull the lead back with the Lady Lions at a 36-30 margin. Maryland responded with a three ball of its own and two sets of free throws to grab the edge which they would maintain for the rest of the game. Maryland extended to a six-point advantage and forced Penn State into a timeout with a score of 42-36 and 4:12 on the clock in the third quarter. The Terps continued their drive and created a 12-point deficit.
A trip to the charity stripe for Jayla Oden cut the lead to 10 but the Terrapins answered with three points of their own to hang the score at 53-40.
Fourth Quarter
Maryland pushed to a 17-point edge in the early minutes of the final quarter. A tip in layup for Brigham chipped into the lead but the Terrapins responded with a steal and score to bring the margin back to 17 points at a 59-42 score line. The home team extended to as large as a 23-point deficit throughout the stanza. Oden tallied nine points throughout the second half to keep the blue & white in the game but the deficit was too much to overcome leaving the final score at 77-62 in favor of the Terrapins.
POSTGAME NOTES
Penn State vs. Maryland
February 18, 2024
Xfinity Center (College Park, Md.)
-There were 11 lead changes and nine tie scores throughout the contest.
-Two Lady Lions surpassed 10 points in the scoring column, Brigham and Marisa.
-Brigham notched her second consecutive game in double figures and her 11th of the season.
-Marisa earned her 17th game surpassing the double-digit mark and her 101st double digit scoring performance of her career. She also reached 2,100 career points.
-The Lady Lions totaled 11 steals and 28 points off opponent turnovers.
UP NEXT
The Lady Lions return to Happy Valley to host no. 2 Ohio State in their Return to Rec game on Thursday, Feb. 22. Tip off for the historic game is set a t 6 p.m. and will be nationally televised on the Big Ten Network.
FOLLOW THE LADY LIONS
Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State women's basketball. Fans can keep up to date with the Lady Lion women's basketball team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @PennStateWBB.
