Without leading scorer Lindsey Spann, who was sidelined due to illness, the Lady Lions played a solid first half on Sunday afternoon, trailing just 36-30 going into the locker room. Penn State couldn’t overcome the deficit, however, as Ohio State came away with a 69-60 victory at Value City Arena. After turning it over a combined 62 times in their previous two contests, the Lions did a better job of taking care of the ball against the Buckeyes, who had 17 takeaways. It was their inability to hit shots from long distance at the same rate as the Buckeyes that hurt the Lions in this contest. Penn State (3-15, 0-7) shot a measly 1-of-9 from downtown, while Ohio State (12-7, 4-3) knocked down 9-of-25 attempts from deep. The two teams were relatively even in most other statistical categories. The Buckeyes out-rebounded Penn State 45-39 and dished out 14 assists compared to the Lions’ 12. Both struggled from the field, with Penn State shooting 39 percent, while Ohio State made 35.8 percent of its shots. The Lions and Buckeyes blocked seven shots apiece. Ohio State’s Kelsey Mitchell — who entered Sunday as the Big Ten’s leading scorer, averaging 25.6 points per game — scored a game-high 21 points. Ameryst Alston added 18 points for the Buckeyes, while Alexa Hart’s 11 points and 15 rebounds gave her a double-double. Spann’s teammates filled the void in her absence. Sierra Moore dropped 16 points to go along with her nine boards and Kaliyah Mitchell scored 14. …
Continue Reading: Penn State women’s basketball falls to Ohio State
