Penn State women’s basketball (5-4) took care of business against Pitt (3-5) Thursday night at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Lady Lions led for more than 80% of the game and forced a total of 13 Panther turnovers.

Kamaria McDaniel powered Penn State’s offense in the win. She scored a career-high 40 points and came up clutch down the stretch to help the Lady Lions successfully close out the victory on their home court.

How It Happened

Siyeh Frazier opened the scoring for the Nittany Lions by knocking down a pair of free throws and a jump shot. McDaniel then gave the Lady Lions their first lead of the game by connecting on a crafty reverse layup and sinking the free-throw to complete the three-point play.

After an uneventful first quarter, however, the teams were tied at 11.

Alisa Smith broke the tie in the second quarter with an easy layup in the paint, before McDaniel completely took over and scored 17 second-quarter points to boost the Penn State offense.

She scored 11 consecutive points in the remaining minutes of the first half and even connected on a buzzer-beater layup to extend Penn State’s lead to 34-22 at halftime.

Anna Camden got in on the offensive action in the third quarter. She connected on a layup before sinking a deep three-pointer to extend the Lady Lions’ lead to 41-26.

McDaniel continued her impressive run with a layup and went 6-for-8 from the free-throw line in the third. She didn’t let up in the final quarter, either, as she continued to carry the Lady Lions’ offense and prove that she is one of the most lethal offensive weapons in the Big Ten.

Pitt cut the deficit to six points with less than a minute remaining in the ballgame, but Marisa came up clutch from the free-throw line to help the Lady Lions cruise to a 78-73 victory.

Takeaways

• Kamaria McDaniel is a walking bucket. The junior scored a career-high 40 points and became the third player in program history to record such a feat. This game marks McDaniel’s third 20-plus point effort of the season and her 15th consecutive game racking up double-digits for the Nittany Lions.
• Frazier continues to be one of the most consistent players for Carolyn Kieger. She racked up 11 points, eight rebounds, and three steals Thursday night, proving that she can be a menace on both ends of the floor.
• Lauren Ebo took a hard fall early in Thursday’s game. She eventually came back and contributed on the floor, but seemed to be in a bit of pain. The Lady Lions will need a healthy Lauren Ebo to continue to compete and play well in the upcoming weeks.

What’s Next

The Lady Lions will travel to New Jersey to compete against Princeton Saturday, December 14. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.