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No. 16/16 Lady Lions Down Bucknell, 78-54, to Close Non-Conference Slate
Penn State records second-straight double-digit non-conference win total and third since joining Big Ten
UNIVERSITY
PARK, PA.— The #16/16 Penn State Lady Lions (10-2, 0-0 Big Ten) shot
50% (30-60) from the field and had all nine players score for the
fourth consecutive game as the Lady Lions posted a 78-54 win over
Bucknell (2-10, 0-0 Patriot) to close the non-conference schedule
Wednesday night. The Lady Lions finish the non-conference portion of
their schedule with a 10-2, marking the second consecutive year that
Penn State has 10 or more non-conference wins. It is also the third
time since joining the Big Ten that Penn State has posted double-digit
wins in the non-conference schedule.
Sophomore guard
Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) was 7-for-10 from the field and a perfect
4-for-4 from three-point range on the way to a game-best 22 points. It
is the fourth-straight 20-point game for Lucas and her sixth in the
last seven games. Lucas also pulled in four rebounds and dished out
three assists. Junior center Nikki Greene (Diboll, Texas) narrowly
missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds, while fellow
junior Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.) added 11 tallies, seven
assists and four steals.
Lucas gave the Lady Lions the
early lead with a jumper 34 seconds into the game as Penn State scored
seven of the game’s first nine points to establish a 7-2 three minutes
into the game. The Bison scored four of the next six points to close
within three points (9-6), but the Lady Lions went on a 7-1 spurt
thanks to a three-pointer by Lucas, a bucket by Bentley and a layup by
Ariel Edwards (Elmont, N.Y.) to push the lead to nine at 16-7 with
13:40 left.
After a pair of Bucknell scores, the Lady
Lions clicked off a 9-0 with a pair of free throws by Marisa Wolfe
(Ford City, Pa.), a backdoor feed from Tori Waldner (Milton, Ga.) to
Bentley, a three-pointer by Lucas and capped off by a steal and layup
for Bentley to take a 25-11 lead with seven minutes to play. The Bison
scored four of the next six points to close within 12 (27-15), but five
consecutive points by Lucas pushed the margin to 32-15 with 3:15 to
play. The squads exchanged scores to send the teams into the locker
room with Penn State leading 34-18.
Lucas led all scorers
with 15 points in the opening frame, including a 3-for-3 mark from
three-point range. Bentley added nine points with four assists and a
pair of steals, while Greene added four points and seven rebounds. The
Lady Lions notched seven steals on 11 Bucknell turnovers in the opening
frame.
The Bison scored four of the first six points in
the second half to close within 14 (36-22), but Lucas’ three-pointer
kicked off a 10-2 Penn State run to make it 46-24 with 16:25 left.
Edwards capped the run with her second three-pointer of the season.
After a Bison three-pointer, a layup by Greene and three-pointer by
Zhaque Gray (Chicago, Ill.) extended the lead to 51-27 with 15:16 left.
Bucknell closed the gap with a 6-2 spurt but the Lady Lions responded
with five straight points to push it to a 25-pointmargin (58-33) with
less than 12 minutes remaining. The lead held steady for the rest of
the game and the Lady Lions went away with the 24-point win (78-54).
GAME
NOTES: The Lady Lions finish the non-conference portion of their
schedule with a 10-2 mark, it is the second consecutive year that Penn
State has 10 or more non-conference wins … It is also the third time
since joining the Big Ten that Penn State has posted double-digit wins
in the non-conference schedule … Sophomore guard Maggie Lucas posted
her fourth consecutive 20-point game and sixth in her last seven games
with 22 markers … Junior Marisa Wolfe surpassed the 200-point mark for
her career with nine tallies, bringing her career total to (205) … The
Lady Lions are now 12-0 all-time against Bucknell … Penn State is 19-0
all-time against Patriot League schools … All nine Lady Lions scored
for the fourth consecutive game.
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