UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – George Mason put together a strong second half to defeat the Penn State women's basketball team 78-68 Sunday afternoon at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Junior Kamaria McDaniel finished with a team-best 15 points in addition to a career-high seven assists. Junior Alisia Smith and freshman Makenna Marisa followed with 14 points apiece.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Five points from Smith had Penn State out to a quick 8-3 lead 1:30 in before George Mason hit back-to-back three-pointers to take a 9-8 lead. Layups from senior Siyeh Frazier and freshman Shay Hagans had Penn State back in front at 12-9, but George Mason's three-point shooting allowed them to trim the deficit down to one at 15-14 at the end of the first quarter.
- Penn State came out on fire in the second quarter as the Lady Lions made their first five attempts from the field, two of which were three-pointers, to put together a 12-0 run in the first 2:41 of the term. McDaniel contributed eight points to the streak and George Mason was forced to call two timeouts as Penn State pulled ahead 27-14 with 7:19 to play in the first half.
- George Mason finished the half making six of its ten attempts from the field, but Penn State had an answer for nearly every basket as the Lady Lions finished the quarter shooting 55.6 percent (10-for-18) from the field and took a 40-29 lead into halftime.
- Five points from Smith and a Marisa three-pointer extended Penn State's lead to 15 at 48-33 a minute and a half into the third quarter. The Lady Lions went cold for the rest of the quarter and George Mason answered with an 18-2 run that gave the Patriots a 51-50 lead heading into the final term.
- The fourth quarter started as a back-and-forth battle as Penn State remained down by one at 62-61 with 3:47 to play. George Mason then went 3-for-3 from the field and 10-for-10 from the free throw line in the final three minutes, however, to walk away with the 78-68 win.
KEY NOTES
- McDaniel finished with a career-best seven assists, the most by a Lady Lion in a single game this season.
- McDaniel has now scored in double figures in 12-straight games dating back to last season.
- Smith finished with a season-high 14 points behind a 6-for-10 effort from the field.
- Marisa's 14 points marked her third double-digit scoring effort of the season.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Carolyn Kieger
- "I'm obviously severely disappointed in our fight and in our sense of urgency. We have to get better and we have to get better in a hurry. We have to value winning and we have to value every single possession. I didn't see that tonight. I saw us lose our heads, I saw us lose our composure, and I saw a lot of fake toughness. I'm very disappointed in our effort."
- "I was happy with how we were sharing the ball in the first half. We had 11 assists in the first half and I thought Kamaria was doing a great job of finding her teammates."
UP NEXT
- Penn State hits the road for the Cal Classic in Berkeley, Calif.
- The Lady Lions open the two-game tournament Friday against Long Beach State, before facing off with either host Cal or North Carolina Central Saturday.