The 16th ranked Penn State Lady Lions were back in action last night, easily handling the talented Ohio State, 66-42. The defense was the story of the game, allowing a season-low 42 points. Penn State’s offense, which is usually reliant on a big game from Maggie Lucas, was far more balanced, as 10 of the 11 Lady Lions who saw action scored.

The seniors led Penn State’s offense for the night. Ariel Edwards had her second double-double in the last three games, with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Lucas had 18 points and 5 assists, and Talia East almost had a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds.

The first six minutes the game went back and forth, and the two teams spent much of the early part of the game tied. The Lady Lions offense then came to life and went on an 11-0 run to take a 21-10 lead. With more than six minutes left of the half, Lucas kept the offense going with a three which sparked the Lady Lion offense. Dara Taylor then went on a run, scoring six of the team’s next eight points.

The defense for the Lady Lions held the Buckeyes scoreless for more than eight minutes in the first half. Ohio State came to life towards the end of the half, scoring 12 points and cutting Penn State’s lead to five with two minutes left in the period. The Lady Lions finished the half on a positive note, though, scoring four points in the last sixteen seconds to take a 29-21 lead into the half.

The Lady Lions came out of the break fired up, and controlled the game for the rest of the night. In the first five minutes of the half, the team scored nine points and had its largest lead of the night, 38-21.

The Buckeyes didn’t go down without a fight, and traded baskets with the Lady Lions for part of the second half. However, it was not nearly enough, and Penn State walked out with its sixth win in seven games. With the win Lucas moved to 11th on the Big Ten all time scoring list, and passed Kelly Mazzante for fifth on Penn State’s all time career free throws made (461).

The Lady Lions are back in action Sunday night, when they will travel to face Michigan State. The game tips off at 5 p.m. on ESPN2.