Penn State (20-10, 9-7 Big Ten) moved past Ohio 74-65 in the WNIT opening round behind a season-high 20 points from Sierra Moore and double figure-scoring efforts from four players.

The Bobcats (22-10, 12-6 MAC) struggled to break down the Lady Lions’ defense through the first three quarters, and their late push from three-point range wasn’t enough to catch Penn State in the final minutes.

How It Happened

The Lady Lions got off to a slow start as the Bobcats opened the game on a 9-0 run. After coach Coquese Washington called timeout, Penn State slowly chipped away through the rest of the first quarter and finished those ten minutes tied 13-13.

After missing all six three-point attempts in the first quarter, Teniya Page and Jaida Travascio-Green drained back-to-back from beyond the arc to give the Lady Lions their first lead of the game.

A steady end to the first half led the Lady Lions into the locker room with a 31-23 lead over Ohio. Senior Sierra Moore had the team high at the break — 10 points to make her the only player on the floor in double figures.

The Lady Lions started to pull away toward the end of the third quarter as they went on a 10-0 run to extend the lead to 18. Page, who went into the locker room early in the third quarter after taking a hard hit driving to the basket, returned to action strong following the injury scare.

The Bobcats made a number of pushes to get back in the game in the fourth quarter — hitting a number of threes and bringing the Lady Lions within five. There wasn’t enough time in the end for Quiera Lampkins, who scored 19 points, and her team to catch Penn State as they fell 74-65.

Player Of The Game

Siyeh Frazier | Guard | Freshman

Frazier was key on the defensive end, got extended minutes compared to her season average, and helped hold off the Bobcats’ late push with most of the points from her first career double-figures effort coming in the second half.

What’s Next

Fordham took out the Georgetown Hoyas to set up a WNIT second round matchup with Penn State Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center.