Penn State (13-10, 4-6) lost to No. 16 Ohio State (18-5, 7-3) on Wednesday night on the road at Value City Arena. Seniors Kelsey Mitchell and Stephanie Mavunga paced the Buckeyes en route to a comfortable win against one of their Big Ten rivals. Penn State was coming off two straight wins, one against another ranked team in Rutgers, but couldn’t defend down the stretch of this one.

How It Happened

Ohio State started off the game with four straight points, and didn’t look back after that. After being tied at 4, the Buckeyes went on a 15-1 run due to the hot shooting of senior guard Kelsey Mitchell. She tied the NCAA record for most games with a three consecutively in this one, and made two total in the first period. As for the Lady Lions, Amari Carter scored five points before picking up her second foul. Teniya Page, who scored 32 points in the Lady Lions’s last matchup against a ranked team, failed to make a shot in the quarter.

The second period didn’t go much better for the Lady Lions, as their 14-point deficit only grew. Fellow Buckeye Stephanie Mavunga started to heat up in the second, finishing the half 7/10 from the field for 15 points. No Lady Lion broke double digits in the scoring column, with Carter leading the team with eight points and two rebounds. The team as a whole shot just above 33% compared to the Buckeyes’ 51%, and only had three assists on 12 made field goals to contribute to a 21 point deficit.

The Lady Lions managed only one field goal in the third until the 2:04 mark, a drought that only damaged their upset chances. However, they managed to get to the foul line numerous times so that the deficit didn’t grow larger. Ohio State received more help from Lavunga and Linnae Harper, who was a force on the glass all night long combining for 21 between the two.

The final quarter was more of the same, as the lead ballooned to 32 at one point. Jaida Travascio-Green hit some threes in garbage time to finish with 14 point to lead Penn State, with Carter not far behind with 12. Guard Teniya Page scored ten of her 13 points in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t make any shots before Ohio State’s lead grew. The Lady Lions finished the game shooting 37% and 5/19 from three point range, and are still sub-500 in conference play.

Player Of The Game

Kelsey Mitchell | Senior | Guard

The Cincinnati native lit it up from behind the arc, making nine of her 16 shots to go with five threes. She also chipped in with five rebounds and six assists to add to an all-around great performance. She exploited the Lady Lions’ defense all night long, and has kept proving why she’s the Big Ten’s all-time leading scorer. Look for her to continue her torrid pace against Wisconsin on Saturday.

What’s Next

The Lady Lions return home on Sunday to face the Michigan State Spartans at 2 p.m. They have now dropped two straight and will try to get back on track against another tough conference foe. The game will be broadcasted on BTN Plus.