Lady Lions Trounce Bucknell

Story posted November 21, 2013 in CommRadio, Sports by Mike Gilbert

It was a lopsided affair Wednesday night in the Bryce Jordan Center, as the 14th/15th ranked Penn State Lady Lions dismantled Bucknell, 92-49.  Maggie Lucas, Candace Agee, Ariel Edwards and Kaliyah Mitchell were the top scorers for Penn State, contributing 17, 16, 14, and 14 points, respectively.  However it wasn’t so much the scoring that defeated the Bison, as it was the tenacious work on the glass and the strong defensive effort by the Lions.

The Lions quickly took the lead in the first half and never looked back.  Edwards had a steal with 12:22 remaining in the first half, one of 10 steals on the night for Penn State, which led to a 21-9 Lions lead. Despite 11 turnovers in the first 20 minutes, the Lions went to the locker room up a commanding 53-23.

Turnovers ruled again in the second half, as neither team could really pass the ball.  The 16 turnovers by Penn State seemed miniscule to the 20 by Bucknell.  It got to a point where Bucknell couldn’t even inbound the ball, having two consecutive attempts either swatted then stolen.  Penn State simply had much more length and athleticism than the Bison did, and it showed from early on.  The bright spots for Bucknell were Shelby Romine and Audrey Dotson, who both had solid performances.

With 14:35 remaining, Agee had a ridiculous stuff with the score at 61-26, reminding Bucknell the game was far out of reach.

Penn State’s 56 rebounds is almost twice as much as Bucknell’s 32.  Also impressive was the Lady Lions ability to convert on fastbreak opportunities, something Bucknell just could not do for most of the ballgame.

Coming after a poor showing to an extremely talented UConn team, this was a big confidence booster for Penn State head coach Coquese Washington and the team. 

Washington was happy with her team’s performance.  “We’re getting there, I thought we fouled a bit too much especially in the first half, but I thought tonight we had a little more balance,” said the coach. 

She also said she was impressed with the players on the team who got opportunities to play more against Bucknell.

“Anytime you don’t have a game you’re not happy with, I think it’s more important to come out the next game and get that feeling and that confidence back, and that’s what I looked to do in this game,” said Candace Agee.

The Lady Lions won’t suit up until November 29th, when they’ll take on Oregon State, in the Junkanoo Jam, located in Freeport, Bahamas.  The players seem excited, but the coaches don’t want all play and no work. 

“They haven’t seen the itinerary yet,” warned Washington.  “They might be thinking there’s a lot more vacation than they’re going to get.”  With a strong field this year, the Lions will have to work very hard in paradise to come out with a tournament trophy.