Basketball: Women's
Lady Lions handle Northwestern, 77-63
On Sunday, the No. 18 Lady Lions (20-5, 10-3 in the Big Ten) made quick work of Northwestern (13-12, 3-9) in Evanston, Ill., beating the Wildcats 77-63.
Point guard Alex Bentley led the scoring charge, dropping 18 points and going 7-for-12 from the floor. Guard Zhaque Gray wasn’t far behind, adding 17 points of her own. Guard Maggie Lucas only had 11, but she flirted with a triple-double by grabbing 9 rebounds and picking up 7 assists.
This one was never in doubt for Penn State, mostly due to their efficient shooting. They never trailed and made 46.8 percent of their shots compared to Northwestern’s weak 32.9. The Lady Lions also sank 16 of their 19 free throws, while the Wildcats only made 12 of 20.
The Lady Lions are really on their stride now. They are undefeated in 2012 when they don’t play a team named Michigan State. They’ve won 10 of their last 12 games, and if No. 16 Purdue loses tonight to No. 10 Ohio State, the Lady Lions will have sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.
Thursday begins a crucial series of games for Penn State, when the Lady Lions travel to West Lafayette to take on Purdue. After a weekend off, Penn State will return home to take on Ohio State.
If the Lady Lions win all three of their remaining three games, they will be regular season champions of the Big Ten.