Athletics

Lady Lions defense stifles Ohio State in 66-42 win

Senior guard Maggie Lucas led the Lady Lions with 18 points in the Jan. 16 win over Ohio State. Credit: GoPSUsports.comAll Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The No. 17/16 Penn State Lady Lions (12-4, 3-1 Big Ten) put on a defensive clinic in their 66-42 win over Ohio State (12-8, 2-2) on Thursday evening. The 42 points are the fewest the Lady Lions have allowed since Jan. 17, 2013 against Wisconsin (40).

Penn State held the Buckeyes to just 29.6 percent shooting and forced 22 turnovers in the victory. It is the second time this season that the Lady Lions held an opponent under 30 percent from the field (Bucknell; 25.5 percent).

Offensively the Lady Lions were led by senior guard Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.), who scored 18 points to go along with five assists, five rebounds and three steals. Senior guard/forward Ariel Edwards (Elmont, N.Y.) made a major impact on the game, finishing with her second double-double in the last three games and third of her Lady Lion career. Edwards accounted for 13 points and led the team on the glass with 10 rebounds.

Talia East (Philadelphia, Pa.) nearly posted her second career double-double with eight points and nine rebounds, while Dara Taylor (Wilmington, Del.) paced the defensive effort with a game-high six steals. Freshman Kaliyah Mitchell (Stone Mountain, Ga.) was solid off of the bench with seven points, three rebounds, two assist and two steals.

In total, 10 of the 11 Penn State players put their name in the scoring column on the evening, marking the sixth time this season that has happened. The team is 6-0 in games in which 10 different players have scored.

The Lady Lions travel to Michigan State to face the Spartans on Sunday at 5 p.m. on ESPN2 before returning to the BJC to host Indiana on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. It's Dollar Dog Night and Centre County Women's Resource Center Day. Fans that bring items from the CCWRC needed item list and receive a $5 ticket

Penn State and Ohio State traded baskets in the opening six minutes, as each team scored 10 points to keep the game tied. Over the next eight minutes of action, the Lady Lions dominated play and took over, reeling off an 11-0 run to take a commanding 21-10 lead with 6:24 left in the first frame. Lucas started the spurt by knocking down a three from the corner. Taylor then took over with her transition offense scoring six of the team's next eight points on the break at the rim with layups. Lucas also added a layup in the stretch to increase the lead to double figures.

Ohio State's Ashley Adams ended the Lady Lion run with a make at the rim, ending a scoring drought of more than eight minutes without a point to get the Buckeyes back within single digits at the 5:27 mark. Ohio State then scored eight of the next 12 points in the contest to cut the deficit to five with just over two minutes left in the half. Lucas scored all four of Penn State's points during the stretch.

The Lady Lions then finished the half on a strong note, tallying four of the last six points to take an eight-point lead at 29-21 into the halftime intermission. Lucas knocked down two free throws and Edwards hit a jumper with 16 seconds left for the four points.

Penn State came opened the final 20 minutes with the intensity and focus necessary to once again grab control of the game. The Lady Lions scored the first nine points of the second stanza in the first five minutes to open up its largest lead of the evening at 38-21. Lucas led the way with three points off a layup and a made free throw. Edwards, East and Alex Harris (Lorain, Ohio) each added two points to cap the great start.

The two sides played even over the next 10 minutes of play with each squad totaling 13 points apiece to move the score to 51-34 with 5:33 left on the clock. Mitchell led the Lady Lions during the 10-minute stretch with seven points off five free throws and a layup.

Penn State finished the game off by outscoring Ohio State 15-8 over the final five minutes of play en route to a comfortable 22-point victory with a final score of 66-42.

GAME NOTES: Coquese Washington has now won 130 career games ... With 18 points, Maggie Lucas moves into 11th in the Big Ten career records in scoring (2,177), advancing past Jenna Smith's 2,160, Illinois (2007-10) ... Lucas is now fifth in Penn State's all-time career free throws made (461), surpassing Kelly Mazzante (460; 2001-04) ... Penn State leads 35-21 against Ohio State in series history, including 19-6 in games played in Happy Valley ... Talia East surpassed the 400-rebound plateau for her career with nine today (402) ... With her 81st block, East now shares 13th place with Kahadeejah Herbert (1982-85) on the Penn State all-time career blocks list ... Ariel Edwards had her second double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds ... 10 Penn State players scored for the sixth time this season and are 6-0 in those games ... Penn State forced 22 turnovers, which is the seventh time this season they have forced an opponent to commit 20+ turnovers ... Ohio State's 21 points in the first half and 42 for the game are opponent lows for the season ... The 24-point victory over Ohio State marks the first time Penn State has won by 20 or more points over a Big Ten opponent since hosting Illinois (33; 2/20/12) ... The 42 points scored by the Buckeyes are the fewest allowed by the Lady Lions since giving up 40 tallies to Wisconsin on Jan. 17, 2013.

The Lady Lions travel to Michigan State to face the Spartans on Sunday at 5 p.m. on ESPN2 before returning to the BJC to host Indiana on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. It's Dollar Dog Night and Centre County Women's Resource Center Day. Fans that bring items from the CCWRC needed item list and receive a $5 ticket

Lady Lion Basketball single-game and season tickets are available by calling 1-800-NITTANY. Single-game tickets are $15 and $12 for adults and seniors and $9 and $7 for youth (12 and younger). Season tickets are $99 for adults and $50 for youth (12 and under), this includes a Nittany Lion Kids Club Membership for 2013-14. New this year, the Lady Lions have introduced a Family Season Ticket package. For $200, fans will get two adult tickets and two youth tickets for the 2013-14 campaign. The PNC Flex Books are available again this year for $99. The Flex Book gives fans 12 vouchers, 10 that can be redeemed in any combination for Nittany Lion and Lady Lion Basketball tickets throughout the year and two extra vouchers for the Nittany Lions' Coaches Vs. Cancer game and the Lady Lions' Pink Zone game.

The 2014 Pink Zone at Penn State will take place on Sunday, Feb. 16 as the Lady Lions take on Wisconsin in the Bryce Jordan Center at 1 p.m. Last year, the Lady Lions donated a record $260,000 to breast cancer causes. This year's fundraising efforts will benefit the Mount Nittany Medical Center, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital and Lewistown Hospital. For more information on the Pink Zone at Penn State, visit the official Pink Zone website at www.pennsylvaniapinkzone.org.

The Lady Lions are on Twitter. Follow sports information contact Kris Petersen (@ladylionsid) and the Lady Lions and coaches (@pennstatewbb) to get the inside scoop. The Lady Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstateladylions.   

Last Updated January 17, 2014

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