A day after taking out Illinois and advancing to the second round of the Big Ten Tournament, the Penn State Lady Lions ran into the No. 6 Purdue Boilermakers, who were coming off a first-round bye. A dominant first quarter wasn’t enough as the higher seed stormed back and knocked Penn State out of the tournament.

How It Happened

Purdue opened up scoring then Penn State quickly answered in an even first few minutes. About halfway through the opening quarter, the teams were tied at four points before a Lady Lion eruption.

The Boilermakers’ shooting 2-17 in the first quarter certainly didn’t help their cause, but there wasn’t much they could’ve done to stop Penn State. Shooting 7-13, Penn State took a 15-6 lead into the first break. Kaliyah Mitchell hit a three-pointer and a two off the bench to lead all players in scoring. Four other Lady Lions chipped in to build the lead, and the second quarter started off with more offensive fireworks.

One minute in, Brianna Banks stole the ball and took it the other way for an uncontested layup. The problem with an early lead is that it allows plenty of time for it to be erased. Penn State insisted on shooting threes in the second quarter, ignoring the fact that they weren’t working. Purdue tore the Lady Lions apart in the paint, at one point holding a 10-2 lead in offensive rebounds and 3:50 into the second quarter, the comeback was complete as the teams were tied at 19. After some more give-and-take from both teams, they entered halftime with Purdue leading 28-25.

Penn State tried to tie the game up in one fell swoop with a long first possession that featured two missed shots from downtown. After two quarters in which one team dominated the other, the third quarter finally displayed two teams matching each other’s ability. Penn State was outscored by one point in the quarter, and Purdue took a 47-43 lead into the final frame with a third-round berth on the line.

The teams traded baskets to start the fourth quarter and started off low-scoring; at the mid-quarter TV timeout, Purdue led 55-52. The next basket would be a big one; Purdue extended its lead despite the Lady Lions’ best efforts.

From that point on, the lead would never be given up. Penn State was mostly shut down for the rest of the game while Purdue had almost no problem wrapping things up. Final score: Purdue 70, Penn State 59.

Player Of The Game

Teniya Page | Freshman | Guard

Page led Penn State in scoring, was second in rebounds, and tied for first in assists — she was the reason the game was close when it was. Peyton Whitted also had a solid game with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

What’s Next?

Penn State’s Big Ten run is over, and likely its entire season too. Purdue moves on to face No. 3 Michigan State in the next round of this tournament.