Penn State (11-4, 1-2 Big Ten) hosted Iowa on Tuesday at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Hawkeyes (10-6, 1-2 Big Ten) were coming off a tight home win against Nebraska, while the Lady Lions fell at Rutgers in a rough shooting night on Saturday. Penn State rebounded from dropping its first two Big Ten games of the season to snag a win at home 71-58.
How It Happened
Teniya Page returned after missing the Rutgers game with a hand injury. With major issues shooting in the previous game, the Lady Lions got off to a much better start on the offensive end. Still, Penn State struggled with Iowa’s ball movement as the Hawkeyes got a number of easy looks for 12 points in the paint as they ended the quarter with a 18-13 lead.
Penn State came out for the second quarter tougher on the defensive end and managed to take the lead about midway through. Freshman Jaida Travascio-Green got her first career start and led the Lady Lions with nine points at the half — all from three-point range. Penn State was ahead 32-31 going into the locker room.
The third quarter was an outstanding defensive effort for the Lady Lions, which allowed them to build on the lead despite not being at their best on offense. Travascio-Green knocked down back-to-back threes in the midst of a 17-0 run, but the Hawkeyes finished the quarter strong with multiple trips to the foul line. The Lady Lions lead maxed out at 16, but was kept in reach with a 51-40 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Penn State picked up the offensive production to hold off the Hawkeyes in the final stretch. Iowa couldn’t deal with the Lady Lions’ depth as Penn State built its lead to as much as 20 with a number of different players starting to knock down shots. Penn State wrapped up its first Big Ten win of the season with four players in double figures as it went on to defeat the Hawkeyes, 71-58.
Player Of The Game
Amari Carter | Guard | Redshirt Freshman
Carter was all over the floor once again in the win. Leading the team in assists with six and finishing second in rebounds (8) and scoring (13), the redshirt freshman guard is playing a major role in this team’s success.
What’s Next
The Lady Lions head out on a two-game road trip, beginning with Saturday’s clash with Purdue. It’s a 2 p.m. tipoff at Mackey Arena and can be seen live on BTN Plus.
