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Nittany Lions top Spartans in Big Ten contest

UNIVERSITY PARK– The Penn State Lady Lions got back on track as they took down Michigan State 86-73 in Thursday night’s Big Ten matchup at the Bryce Jordan Center.

The win snapped a three-game skid dating back to December 28 and was the Lady Lions’ first win in Big Ten conference play this season.

Contrary to the final score, the game was competitive until the final minutes when Penn State pulled away late.

Kamaria McDaniel finished one assist shy of a triple-double as she scored 24 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and recorded nine assists. Siyeh Frazier, Alicia Smith and Shay Hagans each scored in double digits as well, dropping 24, 16, and 12 respectively.

“I’m extremely proud of our team’s effort tonight. We’ve been talking about max effort for the last three weeks to try to get them to play at the sense of urgency that we need them to,” coach Carolyn Kieger said. “But the overall effort from everyone, I’m very pleased with.”

Both teams came out pushing the pace and wasting little time putting up shots, taking turns hustling down the court in attempt to get an open look.

At the center of the offensive attack for the Lady Lions was McDaniel who scored eight points in the first quarter. McDaniel, a the top-30 scorer in the country ran the offense, as Penn State took a 24-19 into the second quarter.

“I can’t say enough about Kamaria McDaniel tonight,” Kieger said. “(She had an) awesome line. I thought her posts were fantastic. (She was) setting screens and doing the little things for us.”

The Spartans cut into Penn State’s lead early in the second, closing the gap to one point within the first two minutes. However, the Lady Lions ended the Spartans’ run and went on a 9-0 run of their own highlighted by a tough and-one from Smith which gave Penn State a 35-25 lead. Penn State’s defense began to match their offensive intensity which halted Michigan State’s quick tempo. Penn State rode this wave of momentum and went into halftime with a 47-36 lead.

Much like they did in the second, Michigan State dominated the early part of the third quarter, scoring the first nine points and cutting the Lady Lions’ lead down to 47-45. Penn State didn’t get on the board until the 6:30 minute mark when McDaniel buried a 3-pointer to end the Spartans’ run. Penn State was on the wrong side of two questionable out of bounds calls which let Michigan State stay in the game. The Lady Lions held a slim 61-57 lead going into the final quarter.

The fourth quarter consisted of Michigan State trying to retake a lead, which they had not had since the first quarter, and Penn State making the shots when needed to keep the Spartans at bay. Every time Michigan State looked to build some momentum, Penn State made a big-time shot; most of which coming from Frazier or McDaniel.

The Lady Lions held a four-point lead with six minutes remaining until a Frazier 3-pointer and a Hagans fastbreak layup gave Penn State some much-needed breathing room. Penn State put the game away and cruised to the win after the Spartans kept it close for the first 35 minutes of play.

Throughout the course of the game, along with McDaniel, Frazier and Hagans both seemed to make the big plays when Penn State needed them the most, which Kieger recognized.

“I’ve been challenging Shay (Hagans) a lot at practice and film sessions because I believe she can give us more and tonight she did that for us… She accepted the challenge and she rose to it, so I think this will be the start of something special for her,” Kieger said. “(Frazier) just attacks the bucket with such a sense of urgency that it’s hard to guard. She’s a spark for us and people respond to her, so when Si (Frazier) is playing hard, everyone rallies around her.”

Penn State continues Big Ten conference play Sunday at Ohio State.

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