Lady Lions Earn Second-Straight Win With 76-65 Victory At Illinois

By Kenny Varner Jr.
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Updated: February 25, 2019

Courtesy of GoPSU Athletics

Penn State uses fast start, three-point shooting to pick up B1G road win

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A season-high 10 three-pointers and full-team effort helped lift the Penn State women’s basketball team to its second-straight win with a 76-65 road victory at Illinois in Big Ten action on Sunday afternoon.

Penn State shot above 50 percent from the field for the second-straight game, finishing with a 52.8 percent (28-for-53) clip from the field and 43.5 percent (10-for-23) mark from three-point range.

Four Lady Lions finished in double figures as sophomore Kamaria McDaniel led the way with 20 points. Junior Jaida Travascio-Green drained five three-pointers and finished with a season-best 19 points. Senior Amari Carter stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, a team-best six assists, six rebounds and four steals. Junior Siyeh Frazier rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Illinois held a slim 7-5 lead after the first three minutes of action before a Travascio-Green three-pointer capped a 9-2 Lady Lion run and gave Penn State a 14-9 edge at the first media timeout.
The Lady Lion shooting got even hotter to close the opening term as Penn State hit four more three-pointers, two of which came from Travascio-Green, to finish the quarter 6-for-9 from downtown and take a 26-16 advantage.
Penn State cooled off a bit in the second quarter but still had an answer for every Illini basket. A pair of McDaniel three-pointers accounted for six of PSU’s 13 second-quarter points as the Lady Lions took an eight-point lead, 39-31, into halftime.
The Illini pulled within four at 48-44 after an Arieal Scott three-pointer at the 3:44 mark of the third quarter, but Penn State responded right away with an 11-2 streak to close the term. Three-pointers from McDaniel and Travascio-Green fueled the streak that put the Lady Lions ahead 59-46 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Penn State carried that momentum into the fourth quarter, opening the stanza on an 8-2 run as the Lady Lions took their largest lead yet at 67-48 with 7:49 to play.
Illinois put together a 12-0 run over the next three minutes to trim the lead down to 67-60 with just under four minutes to play.
Carter hit a key jumper at the 3:17 mark to snap the Illini streak and help Penn State close the game on a 9-5 run to seal the 76-65 win.

KEY NOTES

The Lady Lions have now won eight-straight games against the Illini.
Penn State picks up its second conference road win of the season.
The Lady Lions’ 10 three-pointers marked a season high and the first time Penn State made 10-plus treys in a game since draining 12 at Wisconsin on Jan. 14, 2018.
Travascio-Green made four three-pointers in the first half, marking the first time a Lady Lion has drained four treys in a half since Jan. 24, 2019 at Wisconsin when she did so herself.
Travascio-Green’s 19 points bested her previous season high of 14.
McDaniel recorded her second 20-plus point effort of the season.
Penn State scored 26 points in the first quarter, tying the highest-scoring first quarter of the season. The Lady Lions also scored 26 in the opening term in a win over North Dakota on Nov. 21.

COACH’S TAKE

Head Coach Coquese Washington

“It was good for us to come here and get a road win when we’re a little short-handed without Teniya Page and Alisia Smith. I was really glad that our kids responded to the challenge and were able to come in here and execute the game plan against a tough Illinois team.”

UP NEXT

The Lady Lions remain on the road Wednesday to take on Michigan State at 7 p.m. The game was originally scheduled for Jan. 31 but postponed to Feb. 27 due to the polar vortex that was gripping the country at the time.