Penn State women’s basketball faced its first road test of the season against Marshall on Wednesday.
Hoping to continue their solid start after a pair of home wins, the Lady Lions, while looking good in those first two contests, had occasional struggles that would let their opponents make games much closer than they had to be. Despite a sloppy first quarter, Penn State (3-0) would rally to outpace the Thundering Herd (1-1) for an 80-65 victory.
How It Happened
It was looking to be a bad night for the Lady Lions early on. Marshall came up tough and quick, jumping to 6-0 and 9-2 runs. Penn State struggled to keep up, but soon showed signs of life after scoring six points to close out the quarter.
Come the second quarter, the Lions kept momentum, going on a 17-2 run. Freshman Kamaria McDaniel, after jump starting the Penn State run at the end of the first quarter with a steal and layup, hit back-to-back three pointers to give her team the lead. But another Marshall run would see them regain the lead, with Thundering Herd guard Shanya Gore responding to McDaniel with a couple of her own treys from deep. Penn State soon took back the lead to go into the break ahead 36-33.
It was McDaniel again in the third quarter helping lead the Lady Lions start to pull away from a tiring Marshall squad. A trio of threes came from the hot hands of the freshman, serving as the center of the Penn State offense. Penn State led 59-43 by the end of a wild third quarter.
The Penn State defense filled up the stat sheet on the night, with Amari Carter and Siyeh Fraizer combining for nine steals by the end of the game. The Lady Lions also used their size against Marshall, with three players getting two blocks and having a team total of seven.
The fourth quarter again proved to be all Lady Lions, with sophomore guard Jaida Travascio-Green getting hot to finish with 15 points. Another freshman, Sam Breen, got on the board with four buckets. Bolstered by strong play from their freshmen and their starters getting revved up, Penn State went on to win 80-65 for its first road win of the season.
Player Of The Match
Kamaria McDaniel | Freshman | Guard
McDaniel took the scoring reins in Huntington, coming off the bench to explode for 20 points, four rebounds, two assists, a steal, and going 5-8 from three. Not bad for a freshman.
What’s Next?
Penn State looks to keep its undefeated start to the season going as it travels to Providence on Saturday. The game tips off at 1 p.m.
