Penn State women’s basketball (8-2) was pushed to its limits by a sneaky good Fordham squad (4-3) that exposed some of the Lady Lions’ weaknesses.

While Fordham led for a majority of the game, even getting all five starters over ten points, incredible fourth quarter play from Amari Carter and Teniya Page helped Penn State comeback to beat the Rams.

How It Happened

Fordham struck first as guard Bre Cavanaugh had a three bounce in for her in the game’s first possession. Amari Carter buried a pull up jumper from the top of the key, but right after Rams guard Lauren Holden struck with another three.

Fordham had size on Penn State, taking advantage of a small-ball Penn State lineup. Poor defense from the Lady Lions gave the Rams plenty of open looks, including plenty from the corners and wings. Fordham would get to a nine-point lead at one point before a three from Siyeh Frazier and a jumper from Teniya Page closed the gap to a four point lead for the Rams after a last second three missed its mark. The Lady Lions saw themselves down 20-16 at the end of the first.

Penn State kept trying to claw its way out of the deficit they found themselves in. Another jumper from Page and two free throws from Jaida Travascio-Green closed the gap to just two points. Fordham kept the Lions in check though, with more aggressive defense.

The true telling stat was in second chance points, and the Rams lead 14-0 in that category. Not only were they leading in rebounds, 13-7, but the Rams were also getting offensive rebounds to jump start their scoring. Fordham kept using this to their advantage, keeping the Lions at bay and pushing their lead back to six. Carter would score four quick points to bring the score back within two towards the end of the quarter, but back-to-back threes would bury the Lions in an eight point defiecit. A layup by Carter would bring it back to six, but Penn State brought a 34-28 deficit with them going into the half.

The third quarter continued to be rough for Penn State. A pattern emerged that the team couldn’t get out of. Fordham would be up, never more than nine, Penn State would close the lead, but Fordham would get a couple of buckets quick to take it back.

While the Lady Lions shot 52% from the field, better than Fordham’s 42%, the Rams would continue to dominate on the glass, extending their lead in the rebound department to 29-12, obliterating the Lions inside and preventing any momentum and second chance buckets for Penn State. It was clear that size was Fordham’s main advantage, the first time this season Penn State was really outmatched in that field.

Page and Carter scoring all of Penn State’s points in the quarter, besides a layup from Fraizer. With the forwards being bullied in the post, Penn State was forced on the outside where they shot a paltry 2-12 from three. The Rams looked to take a nine point lead into the fourth, but another late shot by Page cut it to seven as Fordham went up 49-42.

Penn State opened the scoring with a 2-2 trip to the charity stripe from Kamaria McDaniel. It was the first points for the normally explosive freshmen who provides instant offense from the bench. A quick three pointer and a mid-range jumper from the Rams made it a ten point lead.

Head coach Coquese Washington called a timeout to get her team on track, and Teniya Page heard her out. A layup from the junior followed by a huge three point play looked to be the spark Penn State needed with six minutes left in the game. Another three from Fordham erased some of Page’s heroics, but Carter picked up the pieces. A shot from her was followed by a massive three that showed how clutch the talented redshirt sophomore really is.

An empty trip to the line for the Rams was followed by a huge shot from Teniya Page to bring the Lady Lions to within one. After another huge stop on defense Page came back again and gave Penn State their first lead of the game. And then with 47.5 seconds on the clock, another Page jumper from the top of the key had her squad up by three. More clutch defense and free throws from Page and Travascio-Green sealed the Lady Lions comeback as they handed Fordham a

Player Of The Match

Teniya Page | Junior | Guard

She’s got ice in her veins folks! The Chi-Town product led Penn State to a fourth quarter comeback win against Fordham with 27 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. How’d we ever live without her?

What’s Next?

The Lady Lions will head to play another New York team, this time going just over the PA/NY border to face off against St. Bonaventure, kicking off a four game road trip. The game will start at 7 p.m.