Penn State women’s basketball (9-8, 2-4 Big Ten) blew an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter to Ohio State (7-8, 3-3 Big Ten) en route to a 76-71 overtime loss Thursday night in the Bryce Jordan Center.

The Lady Lions opened up their huge lead thanks to a 28-2 run that started midway through the fourth quarter, but couldn’t find any of that offensive prowess in overtime to salvage a result.

How It Happened

The Lady Lions kept up with the Buckeyes throughout the first quarter, 18-20. They were 8-for-14 from the field compared to Ohio State’s 10-19 after 10 minutes of play.

Shooting 52 percent from the field, Penn State still trailed Ohio State at the end of the half, 35-37. The Lady Lions finally had their chance at the line but went 5-for-8 in the comeback attempt. Adding to the score, Amari Carter and Karisma Ortiz both reached double digits.

The second half began with Penn State going on a 8-0 run which tied up the game with 2:08 to play in the third quarter. Ohio State showed its frustration with eight fouls in the third to help Penn State make 12 out of 18 from the line and put Penn State up 54-45.

Ohio State entered the fourth quarter down and Penn State continued to put on the pressure thanks to Teniya Page finding her form from beyond the arc — knocking down three-straight three-pointers.

Then everything stopped for the Lady Lions.

Ohio State quickly turned the blowout into a competitive game thanks to its own work from three-point range. The Buckeyes knocked down nine three points in the game, including several in the fourth quarter. Penn State’s once 18-point lead went down to a single possession as the shot clock died, and Ohio State managed to tie the game on Janai Crooms backdoor cut.

Aside from Page’s opening look, the Lady Lions couldn’t hit a shot in the extra period. Ohio State managed to pull away in the final minute to earn the 76-71 win.

Takeaways

• There’s not really much to say about the second half. On one hand, you’d be hard pressed to find Penn State in recent years put up a 28-2 run against anytime, let along a Big Ten quality matchup like Ohio State. On the other hand, blowing that 18-point lead might be one of the worst collapses for any team this season, if not one of Penn State’s worst all-time collapses.
• The Lady Lions had Karisma Ortiz bringing up the ball, which allowed the usual backcourt duo of Teniya Page and to function as off guards in the initial offensive setup. Carter finished with 12 points and Page finished with 19, but they had more than enough looks to validate the game plan.

What’s Next

It doesn’t get any easier for the Lady Lions, who head on the road to No. 9 Maryland on Sunday at 2 p.m.