Penn State Lady Lions fall to Michigan State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament
Alyza Winston scored 23 points on 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc to propel No. 7-seed Michigan State to a 75-66 win over No. 10-seed Penn State in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday night.
The Spartans only shot 42 percent from the floor, but made 10 3-pointers as a team, added 16 assists and seven steals as they advanced to the quarterfinals to take on No. 2 Indiana on Thursday.
After a solid first half shooting from the Lady Lions in which they made 8-of-18 threes, they struggled mightily in the second half and ended the game shooting 39% from the field and turning the ball over 19 times.
Lady Lions senior Niya Beverley was ruled out as a game-time decision after rolling her ankle in practice just days prior to this match. Maddie Burke, the Big Ten’s Sixth Player of the Year and an All-Freshman Team selection, stepped up and scored a team-high 22 points in the loss.
Penn State started red-hot from beyond the arc, nailing four of its first seven 3-pointers to jump out to a 16-13 lead halfway through the first quarter.
The Lady Lions ended the frame on a 6-0 scoring run and won the quarter 24-18 on 45% shooting from the field, led by Anna Camden and Burke’s six points each.
After a strong start to the second quarter, the Lady Lions’ offense went stagnant for a four-minute stretch and allowed the Spartans to reel the game within one, 32-31.
The game was tied 35-35 at halftime behind Burke’s 12 points. The Lady Lions only shot 24 percent from the floor throughout the second quarter and turned the ball over five times, but were able to force eight Spartans’ turnovers in the half.
After both teams traded buckets to start the third, Penn State went on a 8-0 scoring run. Michigan State immediately followed with its own 6-0 run as the back-and-forth affair continued for the duration of the quarter.
The Spartans ended the third with eight straight points, forced six turnovers by the Lady Lions in the quarter and took a 56-52 lead entering the final frame.
Penn State continued to struggle with ball security early in the fourth as it turned it over four times in the first six minutes and Michigan State extended its lead to eight while shooting 46% from the field through that span.
Burke drained her sixth 3-pointer of the game, but it wasn’t enough to bring the Lady Lions back into the game and the Spartans scored 19 points in the quarter and won by nine.