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INDIANAPOLIS — The Penn State Lady Lions (23-8, 11-5) turned in a solid second half, led by 12 points from senior Julia Trogele (Devon, Pa.), to overcome a halftime deficit and post a 73-61 win over No. 7 Purdue (20-11, 9-7) in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. The Lady Lions advance to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2006-07 and will face the winner of the No. 3 Michigan-No. 11 Illinois game at 5 p.m. Saturday on the Big Ten Network.
The win snaps an 11-game slide against the Boilermakers, dating back to the 2004-05 season. Penn State’s last win over Purdue came Jan. 20, 2005. The Lady Lions are now 3-2 against Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament and 15-25 overall.
Sophomore guard Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.) turned in a solid performance in front of her hometown crowd with 19 points via a 6-for-12 shooting effort, four assists and four steals. Trogele scored all 12 of her points in the second half to go along with six rebounds and three assists. Junior Zhaque Gray (Chicago, Ill.) also reached doubled figures with 11 points, while Nikki Greene (Diboll, Texas) dominated the paint with eight points, 14 rebounds, two blocks and three steals.
Freshman guard Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) added 12 tallies, two assists and two steals. With a trio of three-pointers, Lucas breaks the Penn State single-season three-pointers record, previously held by Kelly Mazzante, and is one three-pointer shy of tying Ohio State’s Caity Matter for the Big Ten single-season record of 106 triples. Lucas also became the third freshman in school history to reach the 500-point mark, joining Mazzante and Susan Robinson. Lucas has 502 tallies this season and needs two points to pass Robinson for second place on the freshman season scoring chart.
The Lady Lions showed signs of jitters early on as they turned the ball over in their first four possessions, leading to a 5-0 Purdue lead in the first minute and a half of the game. However, Lucas provided a spark off of the bench as she nailed a three-pointer in her first possession in the game to break the Penn State single-season three-pointers record. On the next trip down the floor, Lucas drove the lane and kicked out to find Gray for a wide-open three-pointer to give Penn State a 6-5 lead with just over 17 minutes left in the half.
After a basket by Chantel Poston, the Lady Lions got back-to-back buckets by Greene and Mia Nickson (Ashburn, Va.) to take a 10-7 lead with 16:15 remaining. The frantic pace slowed some after the first media timeout as the Boilers took an 11-10 lead with 14 minutes left in the half.
The game was a seesaw battle with 10 lead changes in seven minutes until a trio of scores by the Boilermakers gave Purdue a 28-22 lead with 3:36 on the clock. The Lady Lions scored eight of the final 11 points in the half to close within a point at the break, 31-30. Penn State had a chance to take the lead, but Lucas’ three-point attempt rattle around and out at the buzzer.
Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.) led the way for Penn State with eight points to go along with two assists and a steal. Gray added seven points on 3-of-5 shooting, while Lucas chipped in six points, an assist and a steal. Greene had a solid first half with three points, five rebounds, two blocks and a pair of steals.
The Lady Lions started the second half strong with a steal and layup by Bentley and a turnaround jumper by Trogele to take a 34-31 lead just over a minute into the half. Purdue scored four of the game’s next six points to close within a point (36-35), but a three-pointer by Trogele and a free throw from Talia East (Philadelphia, Pa.) to take a 40-35 lead with 15 minutes to play.
The squads exchanged scores over the next several minutes until an 11-3 run by the Lady Lions pushed their lead to a game-high 11 points (55-44) with nine minutes to play. Lucas drained a pair of three-pointers during the run and Trogele tallied the other five Penn State points. After four consecutive free throws by Purdue, Greene’s rebound and putback as the shot clock expired led to a three-point play and a 10-point lead (58-48) with 7:01 on the clock. Gray added to the lead with a jumper to make it a 60-48 game with six minutes left. The Lady Lions held strong and Purdue was unable to get any closer than eight points in the final five minutes.
GAME NOTES: The Lady Lions advance to the Big Ten semifinals for the first time since 2006-07 … Penn State is now 15-25 all-time against Purdue, including a 2-3 mark in the Big Ten Tournament … The win snaps an 11-game losing streak to the Boilers … With a three-pointer in her first possession on the court, freshman Maggie Lucas broke Kelly Mazzante’s Penn State single-season three-pointers record. She now has 105 triples on the season … Lucas needs one three-pointer to tie the Big Ten single-season three-pointers record of 106 set by Ohio State’s Caity Matter … Lucas also became the third freshman in school history to reach the 500-point mark, joining Mazzante and Susan Robinson … Lucas has 502 tallies this season and needs two points to pass Robinson for second place on the freshman season scoring chart.
Penn State will be hosting the first and second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday, March 19 and Monday, March 21. Tickets are available in all-session packages or as single-session tickets. Tickets can be purchased by calling 814-865-5555 or visiting the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office.