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Lady Lions’ offense comes alive in dominant win

UNIVERSITY PARK — A dominant stretch in the first quarter and a great performance from senior guard Siyeh Frazier was all that the Lady Lions needed in a dominant 88-65 win over Sacred Heart in a non-conference women’s basketball contest at the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday afternoon.

Penn State (6-5, 0-0 Big Ten) started the game on a 17-0 run capped by a 3-pointer by Frazier with 4:31 left in the first quarter, creating a sizable margin that Penn State held throughout the contest.

Sacred Heart (3-8, 0-0 NEC) made just one of its first 13 shots and finished the first half just 3-of-17 from 3-point range.

Frazier finished with a team-high 17 points, including eight rebounds and four assists.

“We talked in the locker room about how we needed to create our own energy,” Penn State coach Carolyn Kieger said. “No band, no cheerleaders and we didn’t know what kind of crowd we would have. They gave us some juice and I think that we hit a lull in the fourth quarter, but overall, we won the third quarter. A great game to fix Penn State as we head into Big Ten play.”

Kamaria McDaniel, who entered the contest second in scoring in the Big Ten, rebounded from a three-point night against Princeton with a strong first half against the Pioneers. McDaniel finished with 16 points, to go along with six rebounds and four assists.

“I think everyone stepped up,” Kieger said. “Her shot percentage wasn’t great, but she kept her head up. She had six rebounds and that’s something I’m really challenging her on right now. She needs to rebound from that guard spot. I think she is only averaging two, so for her to get six is what I’m more concerned with than her 16 points.”

The Lady Lions built their lead with a 3-pointer by McDaniel with 7:33 left in the first to give Penn State a 7-0 lead. Bexley Wallace followed up with a strong one-handed rebound before getting fouled on a put-back attempt, leading to a 3-point play and a 12-0 lead for the Lady Lions with 6:01 left in the opening frame.

Penn State shared the basketball effectively throughout the afternoon, leading to good looks and easy offense.

“I think the best part is that we had 18 assists,” Kieger said. “When we’re sharing the ball and running the lanes, obviously others are able to score and that’s something we have really been practicing and watching in film. We want on time and on-target passing and we’re gradually getting better. The drills and them locking in on film sessions is paying off.”

The Pioneers started 0-for-12 from the field, finally getting on the board with 3:49 remaining in the first on a layup by Jayla Davis. Sacred Heart began to chip away at the Penn State lead, but the Lady Lions closed strong, using a 7-0 run in the final five minutes of the second quarter to extend the lead to 46-25 by halftime.

Shay Hagans made multiple shots around the basket to finish the first half with seven points.

Frazier hit her second 3-pointer of the game with 3:46 left in the third quarter to push the Lady Lions’ lead to 61-34. Penn State led by as many as 30 points with 7:11 left to play and never trailed in the contest.

The Lady Lions held a huge advantage on the boards, grabbing a 55-27 edge in rebounds. Penn State made the most of its 22 offensive rebounds, scoring 29 second-chance points in the victory.

“We had 22 offensive rebounds and Alisia Smith led the charge with six,” Kieger said. “When we’re attacking the glass at that rate — obviously we had a height advantage and we wanted to exploit that — but I just think that when we know when our teammates are shooting, and we take good percentage shots, it allows us to get some offensive rebounds because we aren’t out of control.”

Frazier, McDaniel, Hagans, Makenna Marisa and Smith all scored in double figures for the Lady Lions.

Penn State finishes non-conference play with wins in three of its last four games, including victories over rival Pittsburgh, N.C Central and Sacred Heart.

The biggest focus for Kieger and the Lady Lions entering conference play is to continue to find gradual improvement on a game-to-game basis.

“It’s one game at a time,” Kieger said. “That’s all we’re worried about and after that, we re-group and worry about our next opponent.”

Penn State takes its Christmas break and begins its Big Ten schedule on Saturday at 4 p.m. when it hosts Minnesota.

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