The Penn State Lady Lion basketball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament with an 85-55 win over Cal Poly Sunday evening in Baton Rouge. Penn State started off looking like they hadn’t played in over a week and a half, but once the players shook off the rust and got things into high gear, they easily moved on.
Penn State will face the winner of Sunday night’s game between Green Bay and LSU. They play Tuesday night at the Pete Maravich Center in Baton Rouge. Assistant coach Kia Damon said after the game that once the team got moving and into the flow of the game, everything started to click at both ends of the floor.
Damon also credited Talia East for her play off the bench when Nikki Greene committed her second foul early in the game and had to sit. East was a force in the paint picking up a season high in rebounds with 12 and for the most part shut down Molly Schlemer with her size and strength in the middle.
For the second straight year in an NCAA first round game, the Lady Lions got 4 players in double figures in Baton Rouge, led by Maggie Lucas with 19, Alex Bentley with 18, Mia Nickson added 13 points and 13 rebounds and Nikki Greene chipped in with 11 points.
The turning point of the game may have been the play of East with her strong effort as well as the defensive pressure the Penn State guards put on the Mustang guards. Maggie Lucas hitting a 25 foot 3 pointer at the buzzer at the end of the first half didn’t hurt either. East was also named the Penn State Sports Network Player of the Game for her efforts in the first round win.
The stat of the game was the Lady Lions’ ability to shoot 47% from the field for the game while holding the Mustangs to just 28%. The tough defense Penn State showcased will help the team down the road in the NCAA Tournament.
Damon said the play of the team was a bright spot considering the travel, the time off and the pressure the team’s 5 seniors could put on themselves.
Game time Tuesday night is set for 9:30 p.m. ET.
