Penn State women’s basketball (5-5) fell to Princeton (9-1) 72-55 Saturday afternoon at Jadwin Gymnasium in New Jersey. The Nittany Lions gave the Tigers way too many opportunities off of turnovers and were unable to create enough of their own to keep up.

Despite jumping out to an early lead, Penn State let Princeton crawl back and eventually run away with the game. Solid 25 and 21-point efforts in the second and third quarters from Princeton sealed the Nittany Lions’ fate.

How It Happened

Princeton opened up scoring early, as the Tigers got a quick layup off the tip. Penn State responded on the following possession when Lauren Ebo knocked down a free throw followed by a Shay Hagans three-ball.

The Nittany Lions led for most of the first quarter, but sloppy play allowed Princeton to take a 15-13 lead at the buzzer. Penn State struggled in the turnover game at this point, giving the ball over 10 times in the first quarter while forcing just one turnover from the Tigers, who shot just 37% in the first quarter.

Princeton continued a strong defensive effort early in the second quarter, capitalizing off of even more Penn State turnovers. The Tigers took a 20-13 lead and prompted Penn State head coach Carolyn Kieger to call a timeout around the eight-minute mark following a 9-0 Princeton run. Kieger was forced to burn another timeout a few minutes later after Princeton extended its run to 19-0 and took a 29-13 lead.

Mya Bembry was finally able to break a nearly eight-minute scoring drought with a layup assisted by Siyah Frazier. Princeton had answers for everything Penn State was able to muster up and took a 40-28 lead into halftime. Marisa Makenna hit a long three at the buzzer, but it didn’t really matter.

Princeton didn’t take its foot off the gas entering the second half, as the Tigers opened the quarter up with a pair of quick layups. The Nittany Lions tried to switch things up by introducing a full-court press but were unable to capitalize offensively off a good defensive effort. Princeton piled onto its lead throughout the third quarter and amassed a 61-40 lead heading into the fourth.

The Tigers opened up the fourth quarter with a very quick three-ball to extend their lead to 24 points. Princeton’s Carlie Littlefield plagued the Nittany Lions’ defense by shooting 73% from the field and 100% from both the free throw and three-point line approaching the fourth quarter’s seven-minute mark.

Princeton only continued to extend its lead throughout the fourth, eventually handing the Nittany Lions a 72-55 defeat. Alisia Smith was held to just five points, while Kamaria McDaniel only found the hoop one time on seven shots.

Takeaways

• Turnovers were a major issue for the Nittany Lions, especially at the beginning of the game. They were still able to shoot 42% from the field and even 50% from three, but they gave Princeton way too many opportunities. Penn State ended up turning the ball over 27 times, allowing Princeton to take 63 shots apposed to only 43 of its own.
• Kamaria McDaniel, who was coming off of a 40-point effort against Pitt, was shut down by Princeton’s defense. She averages just shy of 20 points per game, but only managed to put up three and gave the ball over eight times. The Nittany Lions’ struggling offense was clearly missing her.
• The Nittany Lions were able to fight early against a very good Princeton team, going up 11-7 and holding the lead for most of the first quarter. If Penn State was able to play a tighter offensive game, the outcome would have been much different.

What’s Next

The Lady Lions will host the Sacred Heart Pioneers at the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday, December 22. Tip-off is scheduled for noon.