Penn State women’s basketball (9-9, 2-5 Big Ten) once again kept it close on the road with No. 9 Maryland, but couldn’t piece together a quality fourth quarter in a 79-67 loss.

The Terrapins (16-2, 5-2 Big Ten) used a huge shooting game from Taylor Mikesell, who finished with 23 points, and a near double-double from Kaila Charles to avoid the upset.

How It Happened

The Lady Lions couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start from the field — shooting about 19 percent and trailing Maryland 21-8 at the end of the first quarter.

But a huge second quarter, which ended with guards Teniya Page and Siyeh Frazier scoring nine points, helped the Lady Lions go into the break tied 35-35.

Penn State hung around through the third quarter, holding a lead late in the period, but a 10-0 run heading into the fourth opened up an eight-point lead for the Terrapins.

That’s all Maryland really needed as it kept the Lady Lions at arm’s length through the rest of the game — taking its largest lead of the night at 15 points with less than a minute remaining.

Page, who finished with 20 points, went quiet in that final stretch as the Terrapins earned the 79-67 win.

Takeaways

• Teniya Page sat out the first seven minutes of the game for what the ESPN broadcast described was a “violation of team rules.”
• What allowed Penn State to hang around was its ability to rebound against one of the best rebounding teams in the nation, which certainly hasn’t always been a strong suit this season, including in its loss earlier this year against the Terrapins.

What’s Next

The Lady Lions are back in action Thursday at 8 p.m. on the road against Wisconsin (10-8 1-5 Big Ten).