Lady Lions start fast, cruise to victory over Sacred Heart, 83-46

Outside variables tried their darnedest to create a slow start for the Lady Lions, the like of which has plagued the team through its first 10 games of the season.

Confusion over the game’s first possession by referees, a broken clock and a sporadically wailing buzzer killed about five minutes of time before any basketball could be played in Penn State’s 83-46 win over Sacred Heart on Sunday afternoon.

But the combination of freshman guard Teniya Page and senior forward/guard Brianna Banks refused to settle for lethargy in the game’s opening frame.

“Our kids were ready to go,” said head coach Coquese Washington. “They stayed loose through the technical difficulties and once the game got going, were able to start off strong.

“And that was something we talked about coming into the game, wanting to start off strong. For me, that’s one of the most important things about this game, is that we did get off to a strong start because we’d been talking about it all week in practice.”

The two combined for 15 of Penn State’s 22 first-quarter points (equal to the combined first-quarter scoring of Sacred Heart), highlighted by a deep 3-pointer from Banks halfway through the period, and a smooth, gliding finger-roll layup from Page on a fast break.

Spann led all scorers with 23 points, and went 7 of 20 from the field and 8 of 8 from the free throw line. Banks lent 17 points to the effort, Kaliyah Mitchell had 15 and Page contributed 15 points and six assists.

“I just tried to stay aggressive,” said Spann, after the game. She pointed to Page, who sat to her left. “My teammates were also finding the ball, and she did a good job. Other people did too, but (Page) specifically did a good job finding me and Bri (Banks) in transition.”

Led by Peyton Whitted’s 12 rebounds, Penn State also won the battle on the boards 43-35, and committed only eight turnovers (which led to just four Sacred Heart points).

The Lady Lions also scored 24 points off 22 Pioneers’ turnovers.

A tight zone held Sacred Heart scoreless through the first four minutes of the second quarter. Behind redshirt junior guard Hannah Kimmel’s 10 points, the Pioneers attempted to cut a 16-point deficit, cut short by a 3-pointer from Spann and a silky layup from Banks.

The Lady Lions led 39-28 at the half, and put up a quick seven points to open the third period. They went on to outscore the Pioneers 23-10 in the frame, punctuated by an easy layup from Spann in transition for her team-high 21st point as the final seconds ticked away.

“It’s a lot of fun when everyone is involved (offensively), especially getting up and down the court,” said Page. “Just knowing that everyone has pitched in, and everyone’s getting the ball, that’s what makes it fun.”

A 12-0 run to open the fourth period made Penn State just the third team to put up 70 points against Sacred Heart so far this season, and helped the Lady Lions outscore the Pioneers 21-8 in the fourth quarter.

“I almost busted a blood vessel in a couple of timeouts, yelling at them to keep their intensity high,” laughed Washington. “I think they were focused on it. And they didn’t want to let fatigue or anything be a detriment to our energy level.”

Junior guard Keke Sevillian did not play, as she suffered a knee injury last week in practice. Washington said the team will learn her prognosis this week after Sevillian sees doctors.

The team will begin Big Ten play after an 11-day holiday hiatus, and will take on the Northwestern Wildcats on New Year’s Eve at the Bryce Jordan Center.

“I think it’s great to end (non-conference play) on a positive note,” Washington said. “We certainly had our share of adversity ... . So to end on a note like this where we played fairly well and have a lot of things to build on going into conference play, I think that’s a good thing.”

This story was originally published December 20, 2015 at 1:58 PM with the headline "Lady Lions start fast, cruise to victory over Sacred Heart, 83-46."