“Lady Lions lose 75-60 to Indiana in Big Ten opener”
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“Lady Lions lose 75-60 to Indiana in Big Ten opener”

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

Penn State women’s basketball (8-2, 0-1 Big Ten) lost to Indiana (7-3, 1-0 Big Ten) in its Big Ten opener at the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Lady Lions didn’t make a three-pointer all game, while the Hoosiers were cold from beyond the arc. Penn State’s defensive high pressing also freed up a lot of space on the team. Indiana distanced itself in the third quarter with targeted three-point shooting and never looked back.

How it happened

Moriah Murray hit a step-back two on Penn State’s first possession to start the scoring for the Lady Lions. Indiana missed on the other end and Jayla Oden won two free throws, which she drained.

Oden hit a floater to give Penn State an 8-2 lead in the first three minutes. Oden tried again, but the edge blocked her attempt. Gracie Merkle fought her way to the rebound and put the ball in.

Merkle scored again from under the rim to increase Penn State’s lead to five, but the Hoosiers responded immediately from beyond the arc to make it a 12-10 ball game. Indiana unleashed another three-pointer after a Penn State missed layup, but couldn’t convert it.

Oden went down and blocked a shot, but former Penn State guard Shay Ciezki made a three-pointer to cut the lead to 14-13 at the end of the first frame.

Alli Campbell opened the second quarter with a mid-range basket. Gabby Eliott also shook off a shot, and Tamera Johnson’s steadfast defense in the midfield forced the Hoosiers into a backcourt violation. The Lady Lions failed to capitalize on the turnover and Indiana scored the other way to cut Penn State’s lead back to one.

Merkle made one of two free throws after being fouled by a Hoosier. Indiana, despite strong defense from Murray, got its shot on the other side and tied the game at 19 midway through the second quarter.

Penn State continued the high press defensively, but Indiana scored easily to put the Hoosiers up 21-20, giving them their first lead of the game. Murray managed to steal through traffic in the paint and Elliott turned the takeaway into two points for the Lady Lions.

As the fight heated up, both teams began exchanging blows, taking advantage of Johnson’s vicious block to parry Indiana’s Henna Sandvik on the glass.

Indiana responded with a three-pointer to improve by four points. Oden faked a Hoosier defender in the corner and charged in a floater. Indiana once again saw through Penn State’s defense and fought back for a wide open score under the basket with three minutes left in the half to push the lead back to four.

Indiana went around the perimeter but didn’t score. Murray missed a midfielder and the Hoosiers got the rebound. Elliott grabbed the ball out of the air to steal it and passed it back and forth with Campbell for a score. Officials called for Ciezki to attack Oden, who hit a floater to beat the buzzer, end the first half and bring the game back to 30.

Campbell and Merkle connected on layups early in the second half. The same duo scored again after stopping Indiana, and Merkle got the foul and scored the and-one. The Lady Lions forced a missed three and Oden hit a deuce to put Penn State within five.

Elliott shot two from the line but only conceded one. Indiana received a Penn State turnover the other way for a score of its own, making the score 38-36. Oden suffered an injury and was taken to the locker room with six minutes left in the third quarter without putting pressure on her right foot.

Indiana tied the game again at 38 with a midfielder. Elliott responded immediately with a bank shot in the paint. The Hoosiers hit from beyond the arc from the left flank to put them ahead by one with 4:37 left in the second-to-last frame.

Grace Hall missed the ball and grabbed her own rebound to put the ball in the goal right after the media timeout. Indiana took a shot of its own, and Murray had a clear view on Penn State’s next possession but couldn’t drop it.

Indiana’s Karol Striplin scored again to push the Lady Lions to within three points. Johnson won two free throws but again only made one, showing a trend throughout Penn State.

Penn State came out on the offensive late in the third quarter, snapping a 2:07 losing streak to finish the game. Indiana took advantage of turnovers and used several shots to extend its lead to 49:43.

The Hoosiers opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer from Yarden Garzon. Merkle drained two free throws on Penn State’s next possession, cutting Indiana’s lead to seven. However, Garzon hit another three-pointer from the left side, extending Indiana’s lead to ten with nine minutes left in the contest.

Oden returned to the game and hit a deep two-pointer after Penn State missed multiple possessions. Oden found Campbell in the corner for another deep two. Campbell allowed another three-pointer on Penn State’s ensuing possession, but couldn’t drain it. Indiana grabbed the ball, headed the other way, and Garzon conceded again from outside the arc, making it a 63-49 ball game that seemed to be the dagger.

Garzon scored three more goals with five minutes left to extend Indiana’s lead to 15 points. Murray missed a jumper on the other side.

Oden made Penn State’s first three-pointer of the game with about two minutes left in the game. Indiana passed the ball around and ended the game.

Takeaways

  • Penn State didn’t find much of a groove offensively throughout the game, although the turnover battle between the two teams was essentially even. Indiana simply made bigger baskets down the stretch.
  • The Lady Lions had their worst game of the season on the outside. They went 1-10 from three players on a shooting percentage of 10%. Penn State has struggled through three games since Murray’s hot start in the opening series.
  • Penn State didn’t get much from its bench. The bench scored just 4 points compared to Indiana’s 30, forcing the starters to pull unevenly more weight.

What’s next?

The Lady Lions embark on a two-game road trip to complete non-conference play. They first travel to Rhode Island to battle Providence on Wednesday, December 11th at 7 p.m.

Oscar is a first-year broadcast journalism student from Los Angeles. In his free time, you can find him in the IM building missing 3s or crying while watching Todd Gurley highlights. If you would like to talk about your disdain for the San Francisco 49ers, please message him on Instagram @_oscarorellana or email him at (email protected).

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