Ohio State Routs Lady Lions

Story posted February 25, 2018 in CommRadio, Sports by Joe Skinner

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- On an always special Pink Zone day at the Bryce Jordan Center benefiting Play4Kay, the Lady Lions welcomed the 14th -ranked Ohio State Buckeyes to Happy Valley for the regular season finale.  Several scoring droughts kept the Lady Lions from mounting a comeback, and Ohio State cruised to a road win over Penn State, 89-64.

“It was really cool to be in the atmosphere [of a Pink Zone] game,” sophomore Jaida Travascio-Green said.  “My family is here, my friends are here, there is tons of survivors here, so playing for someone outside of ourselves was really great to be a part of.”

Penn State head coach Coquese Washington also spoke to the meaning of playing in front of all the survivors in the crowd. 

“I am really pleased with what we do on this day to honor survivors, honor the families that are supporting their loved ones, and making this day one that they can remember outside of what happens on the court,” Washington said.

On the court, Penn State had trouble getting things going early, as Ohio State raced out to a 23-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.  In what turned out to be a problem for the entire game, the Lady Lions had a hard time shooting, only going 10-33 as a team in the first half.

“Ohio State did a pretty good job of trying to contest shots and did a pretty good job of closing out driving lanes,” Washington said.  “I thought we had some opportunities, especially early in the first quarter that we just didn’t take advantage of.”

The Big Ten’s top offense showed up to play at the Bryce Jordan Center, pouring in 89 points on 49% shooting.  The Buckeyes also hit ten three-pointers in the win. 

“If we can take advantage of some of those [opportunities], I think we get off to a better start and I think that helps,” Washington said.

Even in the loss, there were a few bright spots for the Lady Lions.  Travascio-Green had 17 points on 6-11 shooting and added four threes, and junior Teniya Page moved into 13th on Penn State’s all-time scoring list at 1,525 points after she led the team with 19 points today. 

The scoring from the team leaders helped the cause but couldn’t get them over the hump as Ohio State dominated the rebounding game, 48-29.

Ohio State was led by senior Kelsey Mitchell with 22 points, with redshirt senior Stephanie Mavunga right behind her with 21 points. 

“[Mitchell] is just a really great all-around player, she can do it all,” Travascio-Green said.  “She’s faster than any player I have ever played against, so it’s a team effort to guard her.”

Both teams are getting ready for the upcoming Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis, In. starting February 28th.  With the win, the Buckeyes clinch the outright regular season championship and the top seed in the tournament.  Ohio State will begin play on March 2nd, while Penn State will start play on February 28 or March 1. 

 

Joe Skinner is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jcs6108@psu.edu.