MADISON, Wisc. – The Penn State women's basketball team held off a late Wisconsin charge to earn a 65-59 road victory and complete the season sweep of the Badgers Thursday night in Big Ten action at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin trimmed a 13-point Penn State lead down to three in the final minute, but junior Siyeh Frazier pulled down a key offensive rebound before senior Teniya Page drained three free throws in the final 12 seconds to seal the win. The Lady Lions, who won the season's first meeting 71-64 on Jan. 3, complete their first season sweep of the Badgers since the 2011-12 season.
Page led four Lady Lions in double figures with 16 points. Junior Jaida Travascio-Green followed with a season-high 14 points, all of which came in the first half. Senior Amari Carter chipped in 12 points, while freshman Lauren Ebo added 10.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Lady Lions got out to a 5-0 lead to open the game behind baskets from Carter and sophomore Alisia Smith, but the Badgers rattled off the next seven points to put the score at 7-5 just over five minutes into the opening term. Wisconsin still led by two at 11-9 with a minute and a half to play before baskets from Travascio-Green served as both the front and back end of a 7-1 run that gave the Lady Lions a 16-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
- Travascio-Green's second three-pointer of the game opened the second quarter as Penn State's run reached 10-1 and the Lady Lion lead sat at 19-12. The Badgers answered with 15 of the next 19 points to re-take the lead at 27-23 with 4:10 left on the first-half clock.
- The Lady Lions then rattled off a 15-4 streak of their own to end the half as Penn State went 5-for-7 from the field and 3-for-5 from deep in the final four minutes. Travascio-Green accounted for six of those points, including another last-second three-pointer, as Penn State took a 38-31 lead into halftime.
- The Lady Lions stretched their lead to 11 at 44-33 three minutes into the second half thanks to baskets from Page, Carter and Frazier. The Badgers then used a 9-0 run to cut Penn State's edge down to two at 44-42 halfway through the third quarter.
- A Carter hook shot ended the Badger run at the 3:38 mark and ignited a 9-3 quarter-closing streak for the Lady Lions. Penn State forced three Wisconsin turnovers in the final four minutes to help the Lady Lions control a 53-45 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes.
- Sophomore Kamaria McDaniel opened the fourth quarter with a trey and Ebo followed with a layup to give Penn State its largest lead yet at 58-45 with 8:34 to play.
- Wisconsin then put together its fourth-quarter rally as the Badgers embarked on a 14-4 run over the next 6:56 to narrow Penn State's lead to three at 62-59 with 43 seconds to play.
- The Lady Lions missed a three-pointer on their next possession, but Frazier came down with a huge offensive rebound to keep the ball with Penn State with 15.9 seconds to play. The Badgers were forced to foul and Page was sent to the line where she went 2-for-2 to make it 64-59 Penn State with 12.4 seconds on the clock.
- Wisconsin missed a three-point attempt before Page drained one more free throw to cement the 65-59 victory and season sweep of the Badgers.
KEY NOTES
- The Lady Lions picked up their first Big Ten road win of the season and first conference road victory since last season's game at Wisconsin on Jan. 14, 2018.
- Penn State's season sweep of the Badgers is its first sweep of Wisconsin in seven years.
- The Lady Lions improve to 33-14 all-time against the Badgers and capture their fourth-straight win over Wisconsin.
- Page stretched her double-digit scoring streak to 36-straight games. It also marked her 97th career double figure effort.
- Travascio-Green's 14 points bested her previous season high of nine that was set against Ohio State on Jan. 17.
- Ebo's 10 points were a new Big Ten career high for the freshman.
- Smith led the Lady Lions in rebounding for the 11th time this season with a team-high eight rebounds.
STAT STANDOUTS
- The Lady Lions are now 6-0 this season when out-rebounding their opponents. Penn State controlled a 37-35 edge on the boards against the Badgers.
- The Lady Lions finished the game shooting 41.4 percent (24-for-58) from the field and 36.8 percent (7-for-19) from three-point range.
- Penn State outscored the Badgers 24-20 in the paint.
- The Lady Lions held the lead for 33:32 of the game.
UP NEXT
- The Lady Lions return home Sunday afternoon to host #14/18 Rutgers at 2 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center.
- Senior Amari Carter will be honored on her Senior Day during the matchup against the Scarlet Knights.