Lady Lions Fall to No. 6 Ohio State
Despite Lindsey Spann’s 21-point game, the Lady Lions fell to No. 6 Ohio State Sunday in the Bryce Jordan Center. While Penn State played the Buckeyes closely throughout most of the game, the fourth and final quarter saw Ohio State go on a 13-3 run to give the Lady Lions (9-16, 4-10) their tenth Big Ten Conference loss.
In the opening minutes of the game Penn State played well, scoring the first three points of the match, but the Buckeyes countered with some offensive magic of their own to keep it a close first quarter. After a back and forth ten minutes, the Lady Lions finished the quarter with a 15-14 lead. Going into the second quarter, Ohio State gained a bit of momentum to close the first half with a 37-30 lead thanks to Buckeye guard Kelsey Mitchell’s two three-pointers.
Ohio State increased their lead in the third quarter, leading by as much as 10 points twice in the opening minutes. The Lady Lions, led by Brianna Banks attempted to rally in the third, going on an 11-0 run, but Ohio State stretched their lead with a 55-52 advantage going into the final quarter.
In the final quarter of the game, Ohio State extended their lead once again, going on another run in which Penn State couldn’t defend. As the clock winded down, Ohio State closed the game with a 77-63 win.
Following the game, Head Coach Coquese Washington saw the fourth quarter as being the difference maker between the two teams: “I thought in the fourth quarter there was a stretch where we shot quickly against the press and they got a couple of breakaway layups. That was the difference in the game, it was a one-point game and then they got a couple of breakaway layups in and hit a three and got an and-one and that was kind of the tail of the game there. As coaches, I always say this is a game of runs and they got on a good run with about four minutes to go in the game and that was the difference.”
Lindsey Spann led the team with 21 points, senior Brianna Banks chipped in with 14 while freshman Teniya Page moved to No. 7 on the list of Penn State freshman scoring list with 390 points.
While all of Happy Valley will turn their attention to the Bryce Jordan this weekend for THON, the Lady Lions are headed on the road to take on Northwestern Feb. 17 at 8 p.m.
In the opening minutes of the game Penn State played well, scoring the first three points of the match, but the Buckeyes countered with some offensive magic of their own to keep it a close first quarter. After a back and forth ten minutes, the Lady Lions finished the quarter with a 15-14 lead. Going into the second quarter, Ohio State gained a bit of momentum to close the first half with a 37-30 lead thanks to Buckeye guard Kelsey Mitchell’s two three-pointers.
Ohio State increased their lead in the third quarter, leading by as much as 10 points twice in the opening minutes. The Lady Lions, led by Brianna Banks attempted to rally in the third, going on an 11-0 run, but Ohio State stretched their lead with a 55-52 advantage going into the final quarter.
In the final quarter of the game, Ohio State extended their lead once again, going on another run in which Penn State couldn’t defend. As the clock winded down, Ohio State closed the game with a 77-63 win.
Following the game, Head Coach Coquese Washington saw the fourth quarter as being the difference maker between the two teams: “I thought in the fourth quarter there was a stretch where we shot quickly against the press and they got a couple of breakaway layups. That was the difference in the game, it was a one-point game and then they got a couple of breakaway layups in and hit a three and got an and-one and that was kind of the tail of the game there. As coaches, I always say this is a game of runs and they got on a good run with about four minutes to go in the game and that was the difference.”
Lindsey Spann led the team with 21 points, senior Brianna Banks chipped in with 14 while freshman Teniya Page moved to No. 7 on the list of Penn State freshman scoring list with 390 points.
While all of Happy Valley will turn their attention to the Bryce Jordan this weekend for THON, the Lady Lions are headed on the road to take on Northwestern Feb. 17 at 8 p.m.
