Penn State women’s basketball (2-1) swept the floor with Fordham (0-3) Wednesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center, winning 72-59. The victory was the Lady Lions’ 950th in program history and Carolyn Kieger’s second as head coach of the team.

Siyeh Frazier tallied a career-high 19-points, 10-rebounds, and five steals in her first double-double of the season. Kamaria McDaniel followed closely behind with 18 points, while Anna Camden and Lauren Ebo chipped in 14 and 11, respectively.

How It Happened

Kamaria McDaniel put the first points on the board for the Nittany Lions a minute into the game, sinking a three from the corner with ease. A couple of possessions later, Siyeh Frazier forced a steal and took it coast-to-coast for an easy basket.

Overall, McDaniel carried the team offensively in the opening quarter, racking up a total of nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field. She helped propel Carolyn Kieger’s squad to an early 16-12 lead and pushed the pace against outmatched non-conference opponent Fordham.

After nearly three minutes of scoreless play to open the second quarter, McDaniel converted a layup to once again provide an offensive spark for Penn State. Freshman forward Anna Camden also contributed by nailing two threes and creating havoc on the floor.

The Nittany Lions shot an improved 41.7% from field-goal range in the first half on 10-of-24 shooting. Despite dominating Fordham, they only led 29-24 heading into the locker room at halftime.

Makenna Marisa got things going in the third quarter, collecting an and-one layup but failing to sink the ensuing free-throw. Roughly three minutes later, Lauren Ebo got in on the and-one action herself, this time converting the three-point play and boosting the Nittany Lions to a 36-26 lead with 7:22 remaining in the quarter.

From this point on, Penn State seemed to break away from Fordham thanks to an excellent third-quarter shooting performance. The Lady Lions shot a whopping 70% from field goal range and went 2-3 from behind the arch, expanding their lead to thirteen.

Kieger’s squad didn’t let up in the fourth. Camden absolutely drained another three — her fourth of the game — to start the quarter. Later on, Ebo converted an and-one into a three-point play and followed that up with an easy layup on the next possession. The Nittany Lions cruised to victory, winning 72-59 and improving to 2-1 on the season.

Takeaways

• Siyeh Frazier is here to play! She tallied her first double-double of the season Wednesday night, racking up 19 points, 10 rebounds, and five steals in what was easily her most impressive performance thus far. Frazier was also perfect from the line after successfully converting her two free-throw attempts.
• Kamaria McDaniel continues to be an offensive spark for the Lady Lions. She got things going in the first quarter with nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field and finished with a total of 18 on the night.
• Penn State has a new best friend: the free-throw line. The team shot a respectable 15-21 from the free-throw line Wednesday night — a whopping 17 more than Fordham. The Lady Lions rank in the top-10 in attempted free throws in the nation, and those attempts certainly played an integral role in their impressive win against the Rams.
• Anna Camden is a shooter, and shooters shoot, baby. The freshman sensation notched 14 points and converted all four of her shots from beyond the arch. She also recorded three rebounds and three blocks — the highest mark on the team against Fordham. Camden played 20 minutes in the game, which is impressive considering her lack of experience prior to Wednesday night.
• Penn State’s defense made play after play to suffocate the Rams on offense. The Lady Lions notched five blocks and six steals in the game, which kept Fordham on its heels and limited the team’s field-goal percentage to just over 35%.
• Lauren Ebo is a monster in the paint…in a good way. The sophomore forward tallied three and-ones in Wednesday night’s showdown and finished with 11 points and five rebounds. Ebo struggled from the floor after shooting just 3-for-8, but made up for it by converting five free throws at the line.

What’s Next

The Lady Lions will return to the BJC on Sunday, November 17 to face off against non-conference opponent La Salle. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m., and the game can be streamed live on BTN+.