Fourth-Quarter Rally Falls Short Against RiderFourth-Quarter Rally Falls Short Against Rider
Craig Houtz

Fourth-Quarter Rally Falls Short Against Rider

Box Score

POSTGAME QUOTES: Head Coach Carolyn Kieger | Sophomore Lauren Ebo

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's basketball team trimmed a 19-point deficit down to four late in the fourth quarter, but Rider used strong free throw shooting down the stretch to hold on for a 78-70 win Sunday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center.
 
Senior Siyeh Frazier and junior Kamaria McDaniel led the Lady Lions with 15 points apiece. Freshman Makenna Marisa followed with 13 points, while sophomore Lauren Ebo rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points. Junior Alisia Smith put together a strong game with eight points and a team-best 12 rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Penn State held an early 6-4 edge, but Rider rattled off the next 17 points to put the Lady Lions in a 21-6 hole and force a timeout with 1:28 to play in the opening quarter. McDaniel converted a conventional three-point play to end the term and put the score at 21-9.
  • Seven points from Marisa helped the Lady Lions score 11 of the second quarter's first 14 points. Penn State went 5-for-6 from the field during the stretch to pull all the way back within 24-20 three minutes into the term.
  • Penn State got as close as three at 29-26 following a Shay Hagans three-pointer at the 4:35 mark, but Rider closed the half on a 6-2 streak to take a 35-28 lead into the break.
  • The Lady Lions weren't able to get much going offensively in the third quarter. Penn State scored eight points from the charity stripe during the frame, but went 2-for-17 from the field as Rider took a 55-40 lead through three terms.
  • Rider's Lea Favre opened the fourth quarter with a layup to put Rider's lead at 57-40, but Penn State came to life over the next five-plus minutes to work its way back into the game.
  • Six different Lady Lions scored during a 16-3 Penn State run that saw PSU go 6-for-12 from the field and force four Rider turnovers to pull all the way back within four at 60-56 with 4:07 to play.
  • Rider answered with three timely baskets to score six of the next seven points and reclaim a nine-point lead at 66-57 with 1:32 left on the clock.
  • Penn State kept fighting as the Lady Lions used timely baskets and free throw shooting to keep themselves in the game, but Rider went 12-for-12 from the charity stripe in the final three minutes to seal the 78-70 victory.

 
KEY NOTES

  • Frazier, McDaniel and Marisa all registered their second-straight double-digit scoring games.
  • Penn State won the battle of the boards, finishing with a 49-45 rebound edge. The Lady Lions also held a 20-10 advantage on the offensive glass.
  • Freshman Anna Camden scored her first collegiate points with a pair of free throws in the fourth quarter.
  • Ebo made a career-best four free throws. She was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line.
  • Marisa led the team with three assists, while Hagans tallied a squad-high four steals.


FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Carolyn Kieger

  • "I want to give my props to Rider. They absolutely deserve that win. They out-played us, they out-hearted us, they out-hustled us. They absolutely had more juice than us and that's on me as a coach to fix. But I'm very disappointed in our energy and our efforts."
  • "We have a lot of stuff that we need to work on and we need to fix and we have a lot of bad habits that we need to break. But I will say this, there's pieces and this is not going to define us. It's not going to stop us. It's going to be a learning experience and we will definitely learn from this. We will watch the film and we will grow. I know we have a young team and these are absolutely great lessons for the future."
  • Full Kieger transcript

 
UP NEXT

  • Penn State remains home to host defending Atlantic 10 champ Fordham Wednesday night.
  • Tipoff from the Bryce Jordan Center is set for 7 p.m.