Penn State women’s basketball (15-13, 6-9 Big Ten) lost its penultimate game of the season against Nebraska (20-8, 11-4 Big Ten) in Lincoln on Thursday. A messy affair saw both teams shoot poorly, but the Cornhuskers pulled through thanks to dominance from their forwards on the inside. 

How It Happened

It was a quiet first quarter, with Nebraska going up first with a quick 4-0 lead. The Lady Lions would bring themselves close, as an Amari Carter three pointer made it a 7-8 game midway through the quarter. Things would continue this way for the entire first half. Nebraska would build up a lead, Penn State would score a rapid succession of buckets to bring things to within in one, but then falter and allow the Cornhuskers to stretch their lead out.

The three freshmen got plenty of time. Sam Breen was able to get out on the court after a few games of sitting on the bench, getting two points, a rebound, an assist, and a block. Kamaria McDaniel would find the scoring touch that saw her drop multiple 20 point games to start off the season, getting ten in from the bench. Alisia Smith only scored two point despite starting, but still was active on the glass with seven boards. The freshmen would help keep a rolling Nebraska team from growing their lead too much, with a 24-32 Cornhusker lead at the half.

As the halftime score suggests, it was a rough shooting game for both teams. A combination of poor and inconsistent shooting along with scrappy defense from both sides made it a 31.7 percent and 28.1 percent shooting night for Nebraska and Penn State respectively. Things were even grimmer from the perimeter, Penn State shot 4-21 for 19 percent and Nebraska even worse with a 2-20 performance, good for a dismal 10 percent.

The Cornhuskers also turned the ball over 17 times to Penn State’s 6, letting Penn State keep things within reach. A 45-37 Nebraska lead at the end of the third quarter kept up though despite a late Penn State run led by Teniya Page and Siyeh Frazier as Penn State took the 59-51 loss.

Player Of The Game

Kate Cain | Freshmen | Forward

Cain was the only consistent performer for either team, going 6-8 with 14 points. It was her 20 rebounds and three blocks that helped give the Cornhuskers the edge over the Lady Lions on the night both on the scoreboard and the backboard, with a 60-31 Nebraska lead in rebounds.

What’s Next

Penn State will finish off their regular season against Ohio State. The Lady Lions will be wrapping things up at home on February 25 at 12 p.m.