The Penn State Lady Lion basketball team has survived a lot in the Bahamas — while on a four day road trip filled with fun in the sun.
The players have been seen swimming and playing with dolphins, riding wave runners through the surf, jumping on a sea trampoline and riding a banana boat through the choppy waters. (Center Talia East being thrown into the salty surf sparked gales of laughter from everyone onshore.)
The Lady Lions almost did not survive the Beavers of Oregon State in the first round of the Freeport Division of the Junkanoo Jam basketball tournament in the Grand Bahamas Friday evening.
The Beavers led by nine points on two different occasions in the first half and were outplaying the Lady Lions at both ends of the floor. Penn State did outscore Oregon State 10-2 down the stretch of the first half, closing the gap to 27-26 at the break with the Beavers holding the edge.
Coming out of the locker room after the half, it was a different Lady Lion team. The players used tough defense and crisp passing to take the lead by nine.
Head coach Coquese Washington used two freshman, bringing in Kaliyah Mitchel and Alex Harris early and they responded with strong “D” and great rebounding during that early portion of the second half.
Although the Beavers threw a few runs at Penn State, the game was never really in doubt and Penn State came away with a 61-56 victory.
After the game, assistant coach Kia Damon credited the energy that Mitchel and Harris brought into the game as a main reason for the halftime turnaround. Those two youngsters combined for six points and 12 rebounds in the win.
Maggie Lucas led Penn State in scoring with 17. Dara Taylor and Ariel Edwards each contributed 10 points while Edwards led the team in rebounds with eight.
Next for the Lady Lions are the Red Birds of Illinois State who had a bit of an upset with a win over Florida in the other semi-final of the Freeport Division. Game time Saturday morning is set for 11:30.
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