One of the most important things for a young team is starting the season with a win to gain some momentum.
Penn State did that as it got its season off on the right foot with an 86-72 victory over Siena at the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Lady Lions were able to win their opener even without the services of their floor general and reigning All Big-Ten selection, Teniya Page.
A big reason for that was the play of sophomore guard Amari Carter, who finished with 19 points and 6 rebounds on 7-of-14 shooting.
Another key performer for Penn State was Jada Travascio-Green. The junior forward finished her night with 14 points, including a couple of big three-pointers.
Penn State raced out to a fast start as it hit six of its first 11 shots in the first quarter to hold a 17-9 lead at the midway point.
However, the hosts would go cold for the remainder of the period, only hitting one of their final six shots as Siena closed the gap to 22-16.
The second quarter saw a more composed Penn State side. The Lady Lions clamped down on the defensive end, forcing 11 Siena turnovers and holding the visiting side to just six points for the quarter.
The improved play of their defense sparked a much improved quarter on offense as the Lady Lions were finally able to get their transition game going as a result of the Siena turnovers. Penn State scored 27 points in the period and ended the first half on a 16-2 run to hold a 49-22 lead at the break.
The third quarter saw the continued effects of the Lady Lions defense take hold as Penn State was able to take advantage of four Sienna turnovers en route to 10 points in transition. This resulted in a 75-47 Penn State lead at the end of the quarter.
The theme of the game continued to be turnovers in the final frame, as both teams didn’t establish much of a rhythm in transition. However, Siena was finally able to get shots to fall from the outside, closing the once-35 point lead down to 13 at the midway point of the quarter.
Eventually Penn State was able to settle down and close out the Saints, sealing their first victory and a positive start to the season.
In addition to the strong performances from Carter and Travascio-Green, the Lady Lions also received key contributions from their role players.
Freshman forward Sam Breen provided a spark off the bench with seven points and four rebounds, and Alisia Smith also added nine points in just 19 minutes.
