Despite mounting a comeback in the third quarter, Penn State women’s basketball (3-2) couldn’t get it done defensively in an 81-73 defeat against the Cal State Northridge Matadors (1-4).

How It Happened

Penn State was down from the very beginning, trailing 17-10 midway through the first quarter. CSUN’s guard Emily Cole torched the Lady Lions from deep, scoring nine of her 11 first quarter points from behind the arc. While forward Kaliyah Mitchell’s six points helped the Lady Lions try to keep pace with the Matadors, CSUN had a 24-14 advantage at the end of the first ten minutes.

The Matadors started the second quarter on a 13-7 run, giving themselves a 37-20 lead, but Penn State would answer with a run of its own. On the back of guard Teniya Page, the Lady Lions scored nine consecutive points, and pulled themselves to within six points at 39-33. CSUN scored on a layup just seconds before the end of the second quarter, making it 41-33 Matadors at halftime.

After the break, the Lady Lions came out strong, and played their best basketball of the night. Penn State fought its way back into the game, tying things up at 49-49 with 2:16 left in the third quarter. But the Matadors quickly took back the lead, and despite being outscored 21-14 in the third, they still found themselves up 55-54 heading into the fourth.

The final quarter didn’t go as Coquese Washington’s squad had planned. After nearly taking the lead in the third quarter, the Lady Lions weren’t able to outplay CSUN. The Matadors’ forward Tessa Boagni and guards Claudio Ramos and Serafina Maulupe all scored from three in the final ten minutes, pushing CSUN to a 81-73 victory over Penn State.

Player Of The Game

Despite the loss, Teniya Page may have played her best game as a Lady Lion. Page was a stat sheet stuffer Friday night, scoring 26 points and adding eight rebounds, six assists, and four steals. She was an efficient scorer as well, shooting 9-of-13 from the field.

What’s Next?

The Lady Lions are back in action Saturday at 5 p.m. when they take on BYU in game two of the Radisson Chatsworth Thanksgiving Classic.