Penn State women’s basketball (9-15, 6-14 Big Ten) fell in dramatic fashion to Michigan State (14-7, 9-7 Big Ten) 75-66 Wednesday evening in Big Ten Tournament action at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The back-and-forth battle was stalled by a late 12-2 Michigan State run towards the midway point of the fourth quarter. Despite holding the lead for nearly three quarters of the contest, the Lady Lions were never able to regain the slim advantage in crunch time.

Budding superstar Maddie Burke finished the game with 22 points on 7-for-19 shooting for the Lady Lions. The sharpshooting phenom tallied six three-point conversions and five rebounds in her impressive Big Ten Tournament debut.

How It Happened

After controlling the opening tipoff, Michigan State guard Janai Crooms began the early scoring affair, as the Spartan backcourt staple drained a layup on a second-chance opportunity to capture an early lead.

On the other end, the Lady Lions opened the game in scorching hot fashion from behind the arc. The underdogs scored their first three baskets from deep-ball territory, with two coming from Maddie Burke and another from Anna Camden.

The back-and-forth track-meet styled contest continued in the early going as both teams continued to trade baskets from various levels of the floor. With just over five minutes remaining in the first quarter, Michigan State tied the game at 11-11 after nailing a free-throw to stall the Lady Lion run.

Penn State responded to the stalemate on the scoreboard by embarking on 5-0 run of its own, courtesy of a flashy Shay Hagans drive and yet another Camden three-pointer to jump out to a 16-11 advantage.

To end the quarter, Makenna Marisa added to the early barrage of three-pointer by burying the fifth deep-ball of the matchup for the Lady Lions. As a team, Penn State entered the second quarter shooting an extraordinary 62.5% from three-point range, which proved to be vital in snatching an early 24-18 advantage.

The Lady Lions picked up in the second quarter right where they left off by finding red-hot Maddie Burke for her third three-pointer of the game to take a three-possession lead. On the next possession, the Spartan’s own Alyza Winston hit a behind-the-arc jumper of her own to return the disadvantage to a six point deficit.

Burke’s quick release continued to sizzle for Penn State as the quarter continued to wind. At the 7:05 mark in the second, the mature underclassman scorched the Spartans with another three-pointer at the top of the key to keep the upset-driven squad in the driver’s seat.

In response to Penn State’s sweltering shooting spree, Michigan State launched a timely 8-0 run to cut the score to a slim 32-31 Lady Lion advantage. To break the stretch, freshman Nan Garcia retrieved possession after her initial attempt was blocked and banged a 30-footer as the shot clock expired to rejuvenate the Lady Lion’s dwindling upset hopes.

A dismal 1-for-11 shooting effort to end the half for Penn State helped the Spartans catch up to the formerly large deficit behind a solid offensive stretch, as both teams entered halftime tied at 35-a-piece. After scoring 24 points in the first quarter, Carolyn Kieger’s squad tallied just 11 in the second in a defense-centric 10-minute span.

To begin the second half, Michigan State’s Tory Ozment helped the Spartans capture their first lead of the game on a midrange jumper towards the top of the key. Instantly, Penn State stormed into opposing territory on the wheels of Shay Hagans, who hit a high-lofting floater on the left block to tie the game at 37-37.

Penn State continued to answer the call by generating an 10-0 to extend the lead to eight points. Following an Anna Camden three-ball, Hagans and Marisa continued to trouble the Spartan defense with shifty penetration moves, leading to open shots.

On the next two Michigan State possessions, the trailing squad converted two three-pointers of its own to cut the margin back to two points. Despite the surge, the Lady Lions continued to roll through the punches by converting two mid-range looks to bring the lead back to two possessions at a 49-45 mark.

Both teams continued their hot shooting spans by trading three-pointers with just over three minutes left in the third quarter. Moira Joiner hit the first one for the Spartans, and the specialist, Burke, stroked her fifth three of the game for the tournament underdogs.

Following Burke’s three-pointer, Michigan State bounced out to a 6-0 transition-driven run to take a 54-52 lead heading into crunch time. As the quarter’s final seconds unraveled, the Spartans captured their largest lead of the game (four points) heading into the final quarter of play.

Breaking a scoring drought of over two minutes for both teams, Hagans attacked the rim for a turnaround lay-in to score the first two points of the fourth quarter. To extend the run to four points, Burke backed down the opposition for a low post conversion to tie the contest at 56-56.

The sudden scoring bash continued, but this time, Michigan State took advantage of the momentum. In two straight possessions, Winston fired and hit two three-pointers to re-capture a six-point lead. The sudden Spartan surge took to new heights towards the quarter’s midway point, as their stingy defense jumpstarted a 12-2 run behind a flurry of Lady Lion turnovers.

With just over three minutes remaining on the game clock, Burke did what she does best, by nailing a right-wing three-pointer to return the deficit to seven points at 68-61. Although her big shot cut the deficit to a reasonable margin, Michigan State continued to force tough shots, leading to an 11-point advantage with under one minute remaining.

The Lady Lions continued to fight down the stretch, as Hagans and Cash both converted easy two-point attempts with seconds to go. Despite the final push, Penn State fell victim to the quick-strike Spartan scoring attack, losing by a score of 75-66.

Takeaways

• Carolyn Kieger’s game plan to open the second matchup with the Spartans was executed to perfection. In the opening quarter, the Lady Lions jumped out to a promising 24-18 lead behind fantastic ball movement, leading to open opportunities from beyond the arc. In the last matchup nearly a month ago, Penn State was outscored 22-11 by Michigan State and was unable to recover to early setback.
• Maddie Burke is the next Maggie Lucas-esque superstar in Happy Valley. The Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year earned her first start of the season and did not disappoint, as she knocked down six three pointers on 15 attempts. The mature freshman finished the matchup with 22 points and five rebounds.
• Down the stretch, the Lady Lions turned the ball over on several crucial possessions, leading to easy Michigan State fast-break conversions. The chaotic stretch led to an unrecoverable 12-2 Spartan run, hindering the Lady Lions’ potential upset bid with minutes remaining.

What’s Next

The loss eliminates Penn State from Big Ten Tournament play, and consequently likely serves as the final game of its season-long campaign. Details regarding next year’s schedule have yet to be announced.