Penn State women’s basketball (13-9, 4-5 Big Ten) took a loss on Sunday against Purdue (14-8, 5-3 Big Ten). The Boilermakers shot 73.5% from the field and the Lady Lions weren’t able to keep up, putting an end to their three game winning streak.

How It Happened

The Boilermakers got off to a quick 5-0 lead lead by their sophomore forward Ae’Rianna Harris. Jaida Taravascio-Green, Teniya Page, and De’Janae Boykin helped lead a counter charge to make it 10-11 game. It’d be a tight match for most of the first quarter, with Page and Travascio-Green taking over a majority of the scoring. Alisia Smith also chipped in a couple buckets, but a Purdue run towards the end of the quarter buried the Lady Lions under a 10 point deficit, giving them a 28-18 hole to climb out of.

The second quarter proved to be a tough one for Penn State. Purdue was burning hot from the field, they’d end up shooting an insane 73.5% from the field compared to a 41.8% performance from Penn State on the day. Purdue also shot a 62.5% from three and led in rebounding with 31, burying the Lady Lions in most statistical categories. While they dominated in most categories, the Boilermakers were sloppy with the ball all day, racking up 15 turnovers compared to seven from Penn State. Points off these turnovers helped keep the Lady Lions in the game and keep Purdue’s lead at just ten with a 43-33 score at the half.

The third quarter made things closer, as this was the only quarter Penn State outscored Purdue, scoring 24 points to Purdue’s 22. Page, Boykin, and Travascio-Green continued to produce, they’d be the only Lady Lions to score over ten. Harris and Dominique Oden were the Lady Lions’ kryptonite. Harris bullied Penn State inside for 27 points and Oden would drop 21. A good chunk of Penn State’s third quarter buckets came from free throws as Page and Travascio-Green got some charity stripe points in as the third quarter closed, getting Penn State a bit closer to a victory with a 57-65 Purdue lead.

Whatever momentum Penn State gained from their third quarter free throw run was erased as Purdue came out rolling for the fourth quarter. Teniya Page tried her best to keep up, burying a couple buckets towards the start of the quarter, but Purdue proved to be too hot to handle. Page started missing shots and while Amari Carter and Travascio-Green would have back to back threes, it only got the score to 67-80 with Penn State still down. Nothing seemed to click for the Lady Lions down the stretch and they were buried 73-88 by the end of the final quarter.

Player Of The Game

Teniya Page | Junior | Guard

Though she went 8-20 on the night, Page would still notch 25 points and four assists, along with going 7-7 from the free throw line.

What’s Next?

The Lady Lions have another tough road test ahead of them, this time against No. 12 Ohio State in Columbus. They’ll be looking to copy men’s basketball and upset the Buckeyes on January 31 at 7 p.m.