Penn State women’s basketball (12-18, 5-13 Big Ten) finished off its season crashing out of the Big Ten Tournament first round for the first time since 2015 with its 65-57 loss to Wisconsin.

The Badgers (14-17, 4-14 Big Ten) lost to the Lady Lions twice this season, but the injury-laden No. 12-seeded Penn State fell behind early and was never able to reel in the No. 13 seeds.

How It Happened

The Lady Lions struggled from the early going, falling behind the Badgers as they started the game on a 13-5 run and held the lead throughout the first half.

Penn State’s first team All-Big Ten guard Teniya Page was still trying to get back to full fitness in just her second game in return from injury. She played just nine minutes in the first half and produced more turnovers (3) than her two points during that stretch.

Off Imani Lewis 11-point first half effort, Wisconsin led 33-22 going into the break.

The Lady Lions made their charge toward the end of the third quarter with Page fighting to keep her college career alive. She answered after a poor first half with 12 points in the second, but the Badgers never let Penn State creep back to a single-score game.

Wisconsin managed to record its highest-scoring quarter of the game in the fourth to close out a 65-57 win.

Takeaways

• At some point in the second half, you had to take a moment to appreciate Teniya Page. She was hampered by injuries these past two seasons and was clearly not her explosive self in this outing, but she put together a run down the stretch that exemplified the type of stud she’s been for the Lady Lions over the years — draining threes, getting to the foul line, and leaving everything on the floor.
• The whole team dealt with injuries throughout the season. Amari Carter missed a few games earlier in the year, Alisia Smith never returned after an injury later in the season, and Page had her issues. Kamaria McDaniel going off for concussion protocol in the third qaurter, even though she did return later, gave you the feeling of the type of luck Penn State had this year.
• Is this Coquese Washington’s last game as the head coach of the Lady Lions? Her contract expires after this year and five years without making the NCAA Tournament is quite a bad run for a team that’s been at the top of the Big Ten this decade.

What’s Next

That’s the end of the road for Penn State this year. With its star Page graduating and coach out of contract, the future is certainly up in the air for the Lady Lions.