Lady Lions Overmatched by Cal
UNIVERSITY PARK (PA)¬ – The Lady Lions hosted the No. 24 California Golden Bears in their second game of the season for the Military Appreciation Game.
Cal traveled all the way across the country for this game. Traveling usually plays a factor in the team’s preparation but head coach Lindsay Gottlieb made sure that it wouldn’t be.
“When it comes to basketball no one cares. They only look at winning score and losing score,” she said to her players.
The game started as a defensive battle. Lady Lions were held scoreless until senior guard Amari Carter drained a wide-open three-pointer with around five minutes left in the first quarter.
Cal was also struggling to score in the first quarter. Amari Carter and Lauren Ebo were instrumental as Carter was tied the team in defensive rebounds and Ebo was the only player to record any blocks in the first quarter.
After trailing the Golden Bears 13-10 in the first quarter the Lady Lions had an electric start to the second quarter as Siyeh Frazier and Teniya Page both hit three-pointers within a minute to give them the lead.
The Lady Lions were having trouble defending the perimeter as Asha Thomas and Jaelyn Brown both nailed threes to propel them to a five-point lead with about six minutes in the second quarter.
It seemed as if the momentum was in Cal’s favor and they were going to extend their lead, then Siyah Frazier, who effortlessly recorded two steals and seven points, flipped the switch and the Lady Lions battled back to make it a two-possession game at the half.
Cal abandoned the three ball in the second half and focused on beating the Nittany Lions down low. Reece Caldwell, Jaelyn Brown and Kristine Anigwe were outstanding as they helped the Golden Bears extend their lead to eleven heading into the fourth quarter.
Penn State head coach Coquese Washington was not shy about commenting on Anigwe’s game calling her, “…one of the best post players in the country.”
The game was fairly close until the fourth quarter. Cal upped their intensity and The Lady Lions struggled to match it as Ebo and Alesia Smith couldn’t match up to Cal’s premier forwards in Jaelyn Brown and Kristine Anigwe. Getting more production out of their forwards will be something this team needs to get themselves back on track.
The Lady Lions will travel to Fordham to take on the Rams this Wednesday at 7:00 PM at the Rose Hill Gym.
Ben Borus is a freshman majoring in advertisement and public relations to contact him email bqb5475@psu.edu.
