Penn State (11-6, 1-4 Big Ten) traveled to College Park, MD to take on its highest ranked opponent of the season on Wednesday. No. 3 Maryland (16-1, 4-0 Big Ten) had lost just once as part of UConn’s NCAA record 90-game winning streak heading into the game with Penn State.

The Lady Lions had the lead for most of the first half, but couldn’t keep it together late in the second quarter and Maryland went on a run early in the third quarter to secure a 89-83 win.

How It Happened

The Lady Lions got off to a hot start on the offensive end against the Terrapins. It seemed as if every trip down the floor, Penn State was putting points on the board. That was key against Maryland’s dominant front court that helped the Terrapins keep pace with Penn State in the early going. The Lady Lions had a 24-22 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Penn State kept the ball rolling for most of the second quarter, but the wheels fell off toward the end of the half as Maryland started to shut down the Lady Lions and managed to finish on a 12-2 run. Teniya Page was huge in the opening half, putting up 17 points and nailing four from beyond the arc. The two teams went into the break with the Terrapins holding a 44-39.

The Terrapins started the second half on an 11-0 run to break the lead wide open. Maryland’s Brionna Jones presented huge issues for freshman Ashanti Thomas. She reached 30 points just minutes into the third quarter. It didn’t help that Penn State’s largest players, Thomas and Jaylen Williams, were in foul trouble throughout. The Terrapins wrapped up the quarter leading by 16.

The Lady Lions slightly cut into Maryland’s lead during the fourth quarter, but it still hovered around double digits as the clock continued to wind down. Page and Amari Carter both reached 20 points for Penn State in the final quarter of play. Penn State made a valiant effort in the final minutes of action, cutting the lead to as few as four. Maryland managed to grind it out in the end, winning 89-83.

Player Of The Game

Brionna Jones | Center | Senior

The Maryland star gave Penn State a lot more than it could handle on the low post. She finished with 14 rebounds and a career-high 42 points.

What’s Next

The Lady Lions have back-to-back home games starting with Wisconsin on Monday. Tipoff in the BJC is at 7 p.m. and can be seen live on BTN.