Penn State women’s basketball (0-3) lost to Dayton (1-1) on Monday night at UD Arena.

Fifty combined points from Petra Bozan and Devyn Quigley weren’t enough for the Lady Lions as they dropped their third consecutive game to open the Tanisha Wright era.

How It Happened

Penn State won the opening tip, but it was Dayton that scored first with a 3-point shot from Olivia Leung. The teams traded 2-point baskets before the Lady Lions went on a run, scoring seven straight to take a 9-5 lead.

Petra Bozan and Devyn Quigley made 3-point jumpers for Penn State while the Flyers made two 2-point shots. The Lady Lions went into the media timeout leading 15-9 with 3:46 left in the first quarter.

Out of the media timeout, Dayton made a layup before Bozan scored her second 3-pointer of the quarter. The Flyers responded with five straight points to cut the Penn State lead to two.

In the last minute of the first quarter, Quigley made her third 3-point shot of the game to give the Lady Lions a five-point lead.

To start the second quarter, Leung split a pair of free throws and Ava Black made her first basket of the game for the Lady Lions.

After Jayda Johnson made a 3-pointer for Dayton, Tanisha Wright called a timeout with 6:46 left in the quarter and Penn State up 23-20.

The Lady Lions struggled with fouls after the timeout, allowing Dayton to tie the game at 23 before Quigley scored for Penn State.

Sophie Swanson split a pair of free throws, and Fatima Ibrahim added a second-chance layup to put the Flyers up. After the teams traded several baskets each, Johnson made a pair of free throws to give Dayton a 37-29 lead at the half.

The third quarter started with Penn State failing to score and Ibrahim driving in a layup. Cristen Carter responded with a jumper, but the Flyers answered immediately with a bucket of their own to take a 10-point lead.

Bozan knocked down three straight 3-point shots, cutting the deficit to four and forcing Dayton to take a timeout with 7:00 remaining in the quarter.

Leung made a 3-pointer out of the timeout, but Quigley responded with one of her own for the Lady Lions. After a foul on Carter, Leung made a pair of free throws, giving Dayton a 49-43 lead.

Durley made a second-chance jumper for the Lady Lions, and Leung responded with a layup, bringing the Dayton lead back to six.

Carter split a pair of free throws and M.G. Talle split a pair for Dayton. Durley made two foul shots before Quigley scored a layup to make it a two-point game. Milee Smith split her free throws in the final seconds of the quarter, giving the Flyers a 53-50 lead.

Leung made a jumper to open the final quarter, and Bozan responded with a layup. Johnson knocked down a 3-point basket, putting Dayton up 58-52.

Brooke McLeod made a pair of free throws, but Bozan scored a second-chance layup and followed it up with a jumper. Molly O’Riordan and Black traded scores before a foul by Black led to a media timeout with Penn State trailing by four.

Out of the timeout, O’Riordan split a pair of free throws and Bozan made a pair before Ibrahim scored a layup. Leung made two free throws to give Dayton a 67-60 lead.

Enjulina Gonzalez made her first basket with 2:48 left in the fourth quarter. Quigley made her fifth 3-pointer, but Talle responded with a layup, and Dayton took a timeout with a four-point lead and just over a minute left.

After the timeout, O’Riordan made a 3-pointer and forced Penn State to call a timeout of its own. Bozan scored a layup out of that timeout, and the Flyers called another one.

O’Riordan split a pair of free throws, and the Lady Lions called another timeout. Quigley made a 3-pointer, and Dayton called its final timeout, leading 73-70.

Durley made a steal as Penn State called its final timeout with 26 seconds left. After a five-second violation on the inbound attempt, Gonzalez fouled out. Talle made a pair of free throws.

Quigley made just one of three free throws as Swanson made a pair. The game ended with Dayton on top, 77-71.

Takeaways

• Petra Bozan was the star for the Lady Lions. She shot 90.9% from the field, scoring 27 points, including five 3-pointers.
• Dayton dominated both sides of the ball in the second quarter. It scored 21 points while only giving up eight. Penn State outscored the Flyers 21-16 in both the first and third quarters.
• The Lady Lion offense looked much stronger tonight than in the first two games of the season. Penn State scored 11 3-pointers on 21 attempts and shot 42.9% overall. The Lady Lions made just one 3-point basket in their last game.
• Penn State struggled to inbound the ball in the final seconds of the game, allowing Dayton to control the clock.

What’s Next?

The Lady Lions head to Tempe, Arizona, to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils at 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 15. Fans can follow along with the action on ESPN+.

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