Feb. 17, 2011
COLUMBUS, OHIO - Despite shooting 53.2% from the field, the #23/25 Penn State Lady Lions (21-7, 10-4) were plagued by turnover problems in an 89-67 loss to Ohio State (16-9, 7-6) Thursday night. Sophomore forward Mia Nickson (Ashburn, Va.) and junior guard Zhaque Gray (Chicago, Ill.) each scored 14 points for the Lady Lions, who saw all 11 players score.
Nickson was 6-for-10 from the field en route to the 14 tallies and also pulled down six rebounds to go with two steals. Gray complimented her 14 points with three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Sophomore center Nikki Greene (Diboll, Texas) also reached double figures with 10 points and six rebounds, while freshman guard Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) added eight points. With a pair of three-pointers, Lucas is now tied with Kelly Mazzante for second place on Penn State's single-season three-pointers list and third on the Big Ten chart.
The Buckeyes took the early lead by scoring six of the game's first eight points. With starting point guard Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.) on the bench with two fouls in the first four minutes, Gray knocked down two free throws and Nickson converted on a layup to tie the game at 6-6 with 15 minutes to play. However, Ohio State responded with an 8-0 run to take a 15-6 lead with 13:24 remaining.
Penn State closed within six points after a 5-2 spurt thanks to scores by Marisa Wolfe (Ford City, Pa.) and Lucas and one free throw from Greene to make it 17-11 with just over 12 minutes on the clock. Ohio State pushed the lead to double figures (25-13) by scoring eight of the game's next 10 points.
The Lady Lions scored eight of the next 11 points to get within seven at 28-21 with 5:27 on the clock. Gizelle Studevent (LaJolla, Calif.), Julia Trogele (Devon, Pa.), Talia East (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Gray scored for the Lady Lions during the run. After an exchange of scores over the next minute and a half kept the lead at 33-26 with four minutes left. The Buckeyes scored 12 of the final 17 points in the half to take a 45-31 lead at the break.
Nickson had a solid opening half with a team-best seven points and three rebounds, while Greene and Gray tallied five points each in the first half. The Lady Lions shot a sizzling 59.1% (13-22) from the field, but were 0-for-6 from three-point range. Additionally, Penn State was saddled with 15 turnovers. Nine different players scored for Penn State in the first frame. Jantel Lavender led all scorers with 12 points and six rebounds.
The lead remained at 14 for the first two-plus minutes of the second half, but the Buckeyes scored 11 straight points to extend the lead to 23 points (60-37) with 14:40 remaining. The Lady Lions continued to fight with a 16-3 run to close within 10 at 63-53 with 10 minutes to play. Nickson scored six points in the run that saw six different players score for Penn State.
The squads swapped scores over the next few minutes until a 13-4 run by the Buckeyes pushed the lead back to 19 points (80-61) with 4:44 on the clock. The Lady Lions made one final push with back-to-back scores on a jumper and three-pointer by Gray to make is 80-66 with less than four minutes left, but the Buckeyes scored nine of the final 10 points for the 89-67 win.
GAME NOTES: With two three-pointers, Maggie Lucas moved into a tie with Kelly Mazzante for second place on Penn State's single-season three-pointers list and third place on the Big Ten chart ... Lucas also passed Tyra Grant for third place on the PSU freshman scoring chart. She now has 459 points this season ... The Lady Lions have not won in Columbus since 2004.
After a bye date, the Lady Lions return to the Bryce Jordan Center for their final two regular season games. Penn State meets Purdue on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m., where Chesapeake Energy customers can purchase tickets for $5. The Lady Lions close out the regular season with their Annual WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State game against Northwestern on Sunday, Feb. 27 at noon. Penn State will donate $3 from every single-game ticket sold to the fundraising efforts. 2010-11 Lady Lion Basketball Single-game tickets are available by calling 814-863-1000 or 800-NITTANY.
The 2011 WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State will take place on Sunday, Feb. 27 at noon as the Lady Lions take on Northwestern in the Bryce Jordan Center. The game can be seen on the Big Ten Network. Last year, the Lady Lions donated more than $80,000 for breast cancer causes. This year's fundraising efforts will benefit the Mount Nittany Medical Center, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital. For more information on the Pink Zone at Penn State, visit the official Pink Zone website at www.gopsusports.com/pinkzone. The WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State is also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pinkzoneatpennstate.
The Lady Lions are on Twitter. Follow sports information contact Kris Petersen (@ladylionsid) and the Lady Lions and coaches (@pennstatewbb) to get the inside scoop. The Lady Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstateladylions.