Lady Lions Dominate Minnesota

Story posted January 27, 2014 in CommRadio, Sports by Mike Gilbert

It was an impressive showing for the Lady Lions, as they defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers by a score of 83-53 Sunday afternoon.  Maggie Lucas led the way with 25 points and Penn State led the entire game.

Transition points due to fast break opportunities were a huge reason why the Penn State offense was so dynamic. 

“There were a lot of great outlets that let us get into transition early,” said Lucas. 

Patience on offense was also key.  The Lady Lions frequently made the extra pass to find the open shooter.  They had 20 assists on the game, with Dara Taylor accounting for 10.  Taylor and Lucas combined to shoot 5-11 from downtown, with Ariel Edwards adding one more three-pointer.    

Include an offensive rebounding edge of 16-6, and a total rebounding advantage of 42-31, and it was a good day in every facet for the Lions.

 “We did a good job of making the extra pass,” said head coach Coquese Washington of her team’s unselfishness. “We had a lot of patience on offense, we were content to pass up a good shot for a great shot.”

The turnover margin was significantly in Penn State’s favor.  The Lions turned the ball over eight times the entire game, while the Golden Gophers gave up the ball 12 times in the first half alone, tallying 21 turnovers total on the day.  Penn State capitalized, scoring a whopping 25 points off of turnovers. 

Washington was pleased with the team’s protection of the ball.  When informed of the turnover stats, she said, “Wow, those are good numbers.”

For the Gophers, it marked their fifth loss in their last seven games.  They did improve their shooting in the second half, shooting 50 percent from the field, as opposed to 36.7 percent in the first half.  They were only outscored by eight in the second half, but the poor play in the earlier parts of the game made it too little too late for Minnesota. 

Guard Rachel Banham put up 25 shots, sinking 10.  She played all 40 minutes for the Gophers, and led the team in scoring with 25.  Amanda Zahui shot 6-8 from the field, notching 16 points in the losing effort.  Only five players scored for the Gophers, while eight Lady Lions put their names in the scorecard. 

The win is Penn State’s ninth in their last 10 tries, and their sixth victory in the Big Ten, putting them alone in first place in the conference.  They have a tough test next as they travel to West Lafayette, to take on the Purdue Boilermakers, who scored 84 points in their last meeting, a loss for the Lions.

Mike Gilbert is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism.  To contact him, email michael.gilbertPSU@gmail.com.