Penn State women’s basketball falls to Illinois, extends losing skid to nine games

Following back-to-back blowout conference losses, the Lady Lions failed to turn things around on Sunday.

Penn State fell to Illinois 70-66 at the Bryce Jordan Center, extending its losing streak to nine games. On the flip side, Illinois snapped a six-game skid of their own with the win.

The game started with Illinois going on a 15-3 run with Penn State’s only points coming on a three-pointer from Anna Camden. The Lady Lions top contributors — guard Kamaria McDaniel, guard Siyeh Frazier, who would eventually foul-out, and guard Makenna Marisa all started the game poorly, and Penn State was forced to rely on guard Shay Hagans and forward Lauren Ebo to get things going.

Hagans had a breakout game with 14 points, missing just one basket all game and while adding two steals. In her return to the starting lineup, Ebo really got going in the second half with eight points and four blocks on the day.

Once McDaniel started to heat up, the Lady Lions found themselves in a tight back-and-forth game until the very end. Things took a turn for the worst with less than thirty seconds to go, as Hagans went down trying to make a play on the ball, causing her to miss the rest of the game.

However, with a chance to tie the game late in the contest, Marisa missed an open-lane layup, all but clinching the win for Illinois. Marisa finished the game 1-for-13 from the floor.

Outside of the action on the court, the Lady Lions honored 507 breast cancer survivors today at the Bryce Jordan Center with a celebration at halftime. As part of the festivities, both teams wore pink uniforms and every fan in the lower bowl was given a pink shaker.

“[It] brought tears to some of our eyes,” McDaniel said. “Life is so much bigger than basketball and we kind of get caught up in it, but it’s so much bigger and people are fighting for their lives and it’s such an inspiration.”

Feature Image by Logan Bourandas