Arella Guirantes and Rutgers were too much for Penn State as the Lady Lions drop 2 straight

Projected WNBA lottery pick Arella Guirantes scored a game-high 21 points with seven assists and led No. 24 Rutgers to a 74-56 home win over Penn State Tuesday night to complete the two-game series sweep for the Scarlet Knights.

They also defeated the Lady Lions, 60-55, on Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center, and their 18-point victory Tuesday increases their win-streak to eight and a 13-3 (9-3 Big Ten) record.

Niya Beverley tied her season-high in scoring with 20 points, but it wasn’t enough as Penn State shot only 36 percent from the floor as a team and has now lost six straight to Rutgers.

The Lady Lions have now lost consecutive games after their historic win over Ohio State last Wednesday, and sit at 9-13 (6-12 Big Ten) for fourth-to-last in their conference.

Penn State got off to a fast 11-0 start making four of its first six baskets, and continued to push the pace the rest of the first quarter. It outscored Rutgers 21-12 as four out of five Lady Lions starters made at least two field goals, Anna Camden and Beverley led with six points each.

But their offense quickly disintegrated to start the second quarter as the Lady Lions missed their first four shots and turned the ball over three times, allowing the Scarlet Knights to climb back and tie the game at 21 just two minutes into the new quarter.

Johnasia Cash scored Penn State’s first bucket just a minute later but the team was outscored by 13 the entire quarter and trailed Rutgers 37-33 heading into the half. While the Lady Lions shot a red-hot 58 percent from beyond the arc, the Scarlet Knights also shot over 50 percent and rallied behind Guirantes’ 13 first-half points.

Penn State’s offensive struggles continued into the third quarter and Rutgers put on the pressure, increasing its lead to 15 with two minutes left. But Beverley’s and-1 sparked an eight-point run for the Nittany Lions and they were behind 52-45 to end the quarter. Both teams shot 39 percent through those 12 minutes.

Once again, a three-point play from Beverley broke Penn State’s scoring drought as it scored its first points of the fourth quarter with only 4:36 left in the game. But overall it lost the quarter 22-11 and shot a dreadful 4-for-14 to lose the game by 18.

The Lady Lions’ final game of the regular season is Saturday at No. 8 Maryland.

This story was originally published March 2, 2021 at 8:11 PM.