Penn State women’s basketball (7-6, 1-2 Big Ten) saw its three-game win streak come to an end on the road Thursday night with a 106-78 loss to No. 10 Maryland (11-4, 3-1 Big Ten).
Lady Lion guard Makenna Marisa posted 29 points, but couldn’t do it by herself as the Terrapin defense shut her down from effectively combining with her teammates on offense. Ali Brigham was sorely missed on the boards and in the lineup.
Maryland showcased a lineup at full health for the first time this season and dominated on both ends of the court. Diamond Miller put up 24 points for the Terrapins in her first start of the season following an injury.
How It Happened
After a series of COVID-19-related postponements and cancelations, Penn State was back in action on Thursday night for the first time since a 68-60 win at Duquesne on Dec. 18.
Head coach Carolyn Kieger rolled out a dependable starting five against ranked Maryland. Shay Hagans and Kelly Jekot earned starts over Brigham and Niya Beverley. Beverley made it off the bench for the Lady Lions but Brigham was sporting her warmups.
The Terrapins won the tipoff and put up a quick bucket to start the game. Anna Camden missed two three pointers during Penn State’s first two possessions, but Hagans was the first Nittany Lion to find the basket after four trips to the offensive end.
Kieger started the game with a tight man-on-man defense, however, Maryland still managed to put up plenty of early shots and beat Penn State off the glass. The Terrapins secured an early lead after a 6-0 run to open the game. Maryland put up a similar man-on-man defense that seriously quieted the Lady Lions offense in the first quarter.
Marisa found her rhythm early and sunk a three-pointer to try to catch up to Maryland on the scoreboard. She put up five of the Lady Lion’s seven points midway through the first quarter. Camden and Leilani Kapinus kept letting the threes fly, but their shots didn’t convert.
A 10-0 Maryland run forced Kieger to call a timeout with two minutes left in the quarter, but there was little that could be done to slow down Miller and the Terrapin offense. Maryland dominated the first period to lead 26-11.
Jekot opened up the second quarter with an easy three-pointer followed by a quick bucket from Kapinus as the Lady Lions picked up some momentum out of the break and finally found an offensive spark.
Marisa and Kapinus took a few minutes on the bench and freshman Kayla Thomas made an appearance along with Maddie Burke. Veterans Beverley and Tova Sabel tried to keep up with Maryland, but the Terrapins continued to pull away on the scoreboard.
The Lady Lions looked a little lost at the end of the half. Marisa suffered two big blocked shots in a row followed by an air ball. Maryland completed a 13-3 run in four minutes, with only Camden breaking the streak with a three-pointer. The Terrapins also were able to convert 15 points off of Penn State turnovers. Kieger’s squad only put up 17 points during the second quarter against Maryland’s 30. The Lady Lions headed into the locker room down 53-28.
Camden knocked down her second three-pointer of the night to get the Penn State offense going in the second half. Marisa followed up with a quick layup and got to the free throw line on the next possession. Beverley and Hagans added to the scoreboard to rack up 10 fast points against the Terrapins. Maryland responded on nearly every possession, but it was a consistent Penn State offense that had been absent in the first half.
Miller made her comeback against the Lady Lions after suffering an early season knee injury. She truly showed up in the third quarter and helped Maryland extend its lead to 30. Miller contributed to a 9-0 run against Penn State, forcing Kieger to call a timeout with three minutes remaining in the quarter.
The Lady Lions closed out the third quarter trailing 81-50. Maryland earned its largest lead during the quarter at 33 points.
Maryland maintained a margin of just about 30 points on the Lady Lions throughout the remainder of the game. Marisa continued to fight to stay competitive with the Terrapins on the scoreboard, but the game was well out of reach.
The Lady Lions couldn’t keep up with the ranked squad and closed out the game trailing 106-78 .
Takeaways
- That’s the end of a three-game Lady Lion win streak. A Rutgers win and two non-conference opponent wins against Youngstown State and Duquesne felt obsolete after No. 10 Maryland silenced Kieger’s lineup.
- The Lady Lions couldn’t make it happen off the boards and Brigham’s presence was definitely missed in the lineup.
- Makenna Marisa and Leilani Kapinus led the squad with 29 and 12 points, respectively, but the Terrapin man seriously slowed down the Penn State offense.
What’s Next?
The Lady Lions will play a home game for the first time in more than a month when they take on Michigan at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 13. The action from the Bryce Jordan Center will be streamed on BTN+.
