Penn State women’s basketball (7-16, 1-11 Big Ten) couldn’t take down Rutgers (17-5, 6-4 Big Ten) Thursday night, marking the team’s eighth straight loss.

Despite a decent start, the Nittany Lions quickly let Rutgers run away with the ballgame. Penn State scored just eight, nine, and ten points in the last three quarters, respectively.

How It Happened

Penn State’s starting lineup featured guards Siyeh Frazier, Kamaria McDaniel, Makenna Marisa, and Mya Bembry as well as forward Alisia Smith.

The Nittany Lions controlled the ball from the tip, and were able to take a quick 2-0 lead off a smooth step-back jumper from Siyeh Frazier. The Scarlet Knights quickly responded, but two consecutive solid offensive possessions from Penn State gave the Lady Lions an early 6-2 advantage.

Penn State shot 50% from the field throughout the first quarter, but a solid defensive effort from Rutgers created some disjointed, back-and-forth action. Siyeh Frazier and Alisia Smith led the way with four points-a-piece for Penn State, and the buzzer sounded with Rutgers ahead 14-12.

Arella Guirantes opened up scoring for Rutgers in the second quarter with a three-pointer, giving her 10 points through just 11 minutes of play. Penn State wasn’t able to respond, giving the ball away on two straight possessions. Guirantes continued to be a thorn in the Nittany Lions’ side, totaling 16 points by the time Carolyn Kieger called a timeout with just over six minutes to play.

Rutgers continued firing on all cylinders coming out of the Penn State timeout, taking a 29-14 lead thanks to relentless turnovers from the Nittany Lions. However, Penn State did reclaim some momentum toward the end of the quarter, taking a 6-0 run into the locker room. Rutgers led 29-20 at the half.

Frazier got things going for Penn State in the second half by nailing two free throws, cutting Rugters’ lead to 29-22. The Scarlet Knights recognized the energy Penn State came out with, and quickly called a timeout. Rutgers regained control after the timeout, and led 39-26 heading into a media timeout. Rutgers kept its foot on the gas pedal, taking a 52-29 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Penn State scored just nine points in the quarter, including the team’s first three in 12 attempts.

The Scarlet Knights didn’t show any signs of letting up late in the game, going on a 10-0 run to open up the quarter. Heading out of the final media timeout, Rutgers got a little complacent with its lead. The Scarlet Knights made a few messy turnovers, but nothing severe enough to turn the tide of the game.

Penn State continued to fight as the clock wound down, but Rutgers eventually handed the Nittany Lions an ugly 72-39 loss.

Takeaways

• Kamaria McDaniel, who is one of the Big Ten’s leading scorers, was basically shut down by the Scarlet Knights’ defense. The junior averages just shy of 20 points per game, but was only able to put up eight points through the first three quarters. She was able to finish with 17, but those points mostly came in garbage time.
• Penn State’s inconsistency this season has been one of the team’s biggest flaws. The Nittany Lions have seldom played four complete quarters, allowing opponents to put up crooked numbers on big runs. Penn State only trailed by nine heading into halftime, but fell flat defensively in the second half.

What’s Next

The Lady Lions will host Big Ten foe Illinois this Sunday, February 9. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on BTN+.