Penn State women’s basketball (9-14, 3-10 Big Ten) fell to Purdue (14-10, 5-8 Big Ten) 81-77 Wednesday night at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Despite a 31-point performance from Makenna Marisa, the Lady Lions were unable to keep up with Purdue as they dropped their seventh-straight game of the season.

How It Happened

Searching for her first win in the month of February, Carolyn Kieger decided to opt for a sturdy and reliable starting five against the Boilermakers.

On the Lady Lions’ first possession of the game, Makenna Marisa found Anna Camden wide open in the paint to secure the first bucket of the match up. Jeanae Terry made the first bucket for Purdue which was followed by two lay-ups for the Boilermakers. Marisa joined in on the lay-up party and hit two of her own to tie this game up.

After a made free throw from Rickie Woltman, Niya Beverley sank a three which started a 7-0 run for Penn State. Woltman ended the run with a lay-up, but both teams continued to trade buckets as the first quarter came to a close. Beverley sank a three right at the buzzer to end the first, as she extended the lead to nine for the Lady Lions.

Madison Layden made up for the last-second trey ball and sank one for Purdue to start the second. The Boilermakers made quick work of Penn State’s missed opportunities and brought this game back within two, mid-way through the second quarter. At that point, every Purdue player, except one, had scored a bucket.

Both teams kept trading buckets as the quarter continued. Brook Moore sank a mid-range jumper that brought the lead back to Purdue with just under two minutes left of action. However, that ended up being the last bucket of the first half as Purdue went into halftime with a 34-33 lead.

On the Boilermakers first possession, Shay Hagans stole the ball and found Leilani Kapinus for a fast break lay-up to start things in the second half. Purdue pulled away from the Lady Lions after an 11-to-2 run led by Woltman, who then sat at 14 points for the night.

After a media timeout with four minutes left in the third, Marisa was fouled on a made lay-up and sunk her free throw to complete the three-point play. Then, Abbey Ellis and Ali Brigham traded lay-ups on back-to-back possessions. Purdue put on the full-court press and scored eight straight points before Marisa hit one from beyond the arc to stop yet another run. Moore finished the third with a jumper that extended the Boilermakers’ lead to a dozen.

Jayla Smith and Marisa traded ‘and-one’ plays to start the final quarter. The Lady Lions’ started the full court press defense and applied pressure to the Boilermakers. However, at the midway point, they still remain down eleven with just five minutes left of action.

Penn State found success with the full-court press and went on a quick 9-to-0 run to bring this game within two. Jayla Smith, then, hit one from deep to end the run for the Lady Lions. Both teams traded lay-ups down the stretch, but Purdue kept the lead on its side with just a minute left to play.

After a fast-break make from Kelly Jekot, Layden sank a deep mid-range jumper to extend this lead to five with just 19 seconds left to go. Marisa sank two free throws that brought this game back to three. After a forced foul, Cassidy Hardin sank a free throw to extend the lead to four with just five seconds left. Marisa missed a last-second three and Penn State fell to Purdue with a final score of 81-77.

Takeaways

• Tonight’s loss marks the seventh-straight defeat for the Lady Lions. Penn State has yet to win a game in February, and with a tough remaining schedule, more losses could be on its way.
• The only positive for Penn State was it was able to record 16 steals and shot an impressive 15-for-16 from the charity stripe. The glass is still half-full, folks.
• Purdue had some producers Wednesday, as four players scored over ten points. Leading the charge was Madison Layden with 20, followed by Rickie Woltman with 18, and Abbey Ellis and Brooke Moore with 12 and 10, respectively.

What’s Next?

The Lady Lions will travel to New Jersey for a match up with Rutgers this Sunday, February 9. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m.