Penn State women’s basketball fell to Rutgers on the road 71-62 Sunday afternoon to extend a dismal stretch of play.

Leilani Kapinus posted a career-high 23 points in Sunday’s loss. Despite a strong Penn State start, Rutgers came back late to take the lead after the Lady Lions led nearly the entire game.

How It Happened

The Lady Lions were off to a hot start behind Kapinus with a quick four points. Sayani Lassiter was able to answer for Rutgers with a three-pointer for the team’s first of the ball game. Both sides were shooting well early. The Lady Lions were up three at the midway point of the first quarter but went scoreless for nearly five minutes after. Once leading by as much as seven, the Lady Lions were down five at the end of the quarter. The Scarlet Knights adjusted well by shooting well from three and creating turnovers and missed shots. They finished the quarter on a 16-4 run.

Kelly Jekot got the Lady Lions off to a good start in the second with a three followed by a Rutgers turnover. Makenna Marisa added a couple free throws to tie the game up. Shay Hagans added a fast break layup followed by a three from Makenna Marisa. Midway through the second quarter the Lady Lions were up five after going on a quick 12-2 run. After a scoring drought for over three minutes, both teams traded a couple baskets. Anna Camden hit back-to-back three-pointers late in the half to keep the lead late in the half. Those ended up being the last points of the half and the Lady Lions went into the break up 34-30.

Freshman Kapinus led the Lady Lions at the half with 10 points, five rebounds, and four steals. Makenna Marisa followed closely with nine of her own. All five starters were able to get their name on the score sheet, but only two points came off the bench.

The Scarlet Knights came out of the half with a quick basket from Lasha Petree. Kapinus started the scoring off for the Lady Lions by adding a three and fast break layup for the Lady Lions to regain the lead. Rutgers hit a couple of important free throws to tie the ball game up just after the midway point. After a couple of rebounds off the offensive glass, Ali Bringham was able to put in her own miss to put the Lady Lions back out in front. Both teams traded multiple scoreless possessions towards the end of the quarter. Leilani Kapinus continued to play well down the stretch scoring a last-second layup to put the Lady Lions up six at the end of the third quarter. Kapinus ended the quarter with 19 total points under her belt.

Leilani Kapinus continued to play well in the final quarter by adding another layup to the score sheet. She gave the Lady Lions their largest lead of the game of eight points. Osh Brown was able to convert on more free throws and bring the Rutgers deficit back to four. Anna Camden was able to get it done on both sides of the court by converting from beyond the arc and a block on consecutive possessions. Lasha Petree was able to sink back to back threes to put the Scarlet Knights back within one. Kapinus got into foul trouble which caused the Lady Lions offense to slow down.

With just over two minutes left, Petree converted an and-one to put the Scarlet Knights up by one — their first lead since the first quarter. Sayawni Lassiter hit a three to extend Rutgers’ lead to four. Morris hit another late three to ice the game. She added a couple of free throws to extend the lead to nine, ultimately putting the game out of reach.

Takeaways

• Sunday’s loss is the Lady Lions’ eighth in a row. Penn State is still searching for its first win in February. Not playing well for four whole quarters ultimately caused the game to slip away.
• Today’s contest gave Rutgers its first win in Big Ten play and first victory overall in 57 days. Shooting well from distance allowed the Scarlet Knights to grab its first conference win.
• A positive for Penn State came in freshman Leilani Kapinus, who contributed a career-high 23 points.

What’s Next?

The Lady Lions will play Nebraska at home on Thursday, February 17. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. from the Bryce Jordan Center.