Penn State women’s basketball (7-13, 1-8 Big Ten) lost to Purdue (14-7, 5-4 Big Ten) 81-68 in West Lafayette, Indiana Sunday afternoon.

Kamaria McDaniel led the way with 35 points in the losing effort, while Siyeh Frazier followed with nine.

How It Happened

Head coach Carolyn Kieger rolled out a starting lineup consisting of guards Siyeh Frazier, Kamaria McDaniel, and Makenna Marisa, and forwards Anna Camden and Lauren Ebo.

Purdue opened the game with a three-point shot right from the gun, which Penn State quickly followed with a layup against the Boilermakers’ tough defense in the paint. The Lady Lions began working the perimeter well, though, and cut their deficit to 11-9 thanks to a three-ball from Camden with just over four minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Both teams traded back-to-back buckets near the end of the first frame before Purdue converted a second-chance jumper in the paint to lead 17-13 at the end of the first quarter.

The Boilermakers came out swinging in the second quarter and expanded their advantage to 24-17 thanks to a clutch three and layup under the basket. Penn State responded with a second-chance three of its own after Shay Hagans drained one from downtown following a Purdue turnover. McDaniel followed with a layup to cut the Lady Lions’ deficit to 24-22 before a media timeout.

McDaniel drained a deep three of her own on Penn State’s first possession out of the break. She also connected on a layup with 33 seconds left in the half. Despite her efforts, Purdue took a 34-29 lead into the locker room.

FROM NBA RANGE #IgniteThePRIDE pic.twitter.com/LP8zkG2rBZ

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) January 26, 2020

Frazier came out strong in the second half and converted on a layup following her own steal. The Boilermakers responded with an 8-0 scoring run, though, to put themselves up 42-31 and force Kieger to call a timeout to stop the bleeding.

Siyeh with the steal and layup to open the second half #IgniteThePRIDE pic.twitter.com/3luLGhhtFV

— Penn State Women's Basketball (@PennStateWBB) January 26, 2020

Purdue truly ran away with the game in the third quarter. The Boilermakers, who led by as many as 18, shot 12-for-18 from the floor in the third frame and took a 61-47 lead into the fourth.

After a tough third quarter, Penn State did little to stop Purdue from cruising to an easy victory in the final frame. The Lady Lions shot just 4-for-10 from the field to round out the game and lose their fifth straight contest 81-68.

Takeaways

• McDaniel might need to see a chiropractor for back pain because she’s single-handedly carrying this team right now. The junior guard contributed 13 of Penn State’s 29 points in the first half and shot 6-for-8 from the field. McDaniel finished the matchup with 35 points, five assists, and four rebounds.
• If Penn State hopes to get back on track, it needs to make more of an effort to get to the line. The Lady Lions only took one foul shot in the first half — a rare McDaniel miss — and simply couldn’t draw contact to start the game. The team wound up taking 18 more in the second half, but the Lady Lions need to get started from the line sooner to find success.
• Now on a five-game losing streak, Penn State desperately needs a win to stop the bleeding. The problem? Its schedule doesn’t get any easier from here on out. The Lady Lions’ next two games are against 17-3 Iowa and 17-2 Northwestern, which doesn’t bode well for a get-right victory. Hopefully, some time off will help Kieger get her team back on track.

What’s Next?

The Lady Lions will return home to rest up before taking on Iowa at the Bryce Jordan Center on Thursday, January 30. Tipoff against the Hawkeyes is set for 7 p.m.