University Park, PA – Maggie Lucas had 17 points and six rebounds and led eighth-ranked Penn State to a 69-61 win over No. 13 Purdue on Monday.
Alex Bentley scored 13 points and Mia Nickson registered 11 points and three steals for the Lady Lions (18-3, 8-1 Big Ten), who now hold the top seed in the Big Ten standings. Penn State came into the game off a loss against Wisconsin, its first since Dec. 6 against Connecticut.
Courtney Moses had a game-high 21 points and Drey Mingo added 13 points for the Boilermakers (18-4, 7-2), who had won three in a row. Taylor Manuel registered 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Penn State led the entire game and didn't let up. By halftime, it had a 34-23 advantage.
With 13:35 left in regulation, the Lady Lions held a 46-37 lead when a layup by Manuel started a 11-4 run for the Boilermakers. With under nine minutes to go, Purdue cut the deficit to 52-50.
Both teams traded blows over the next four minutes. After a 3-pointer by Lucas, Purdue's K.K. Houser fired back with a 3-point shot of her own to bring it within 55-53 with eight minutes to play. Mingo's layup brought the Boilermakers within two again before Penn State's Nikki Greene answered with a layup of her own.
However, Penn State went on a 10-0 run and led 67-55 with under two minutes to go. Greene scored six points during the swing.
Purdue had a 6-0 run over the next forty seconds, but with just 1:15 left, the game was out of reach. Bentley made the final shot with 51 seconds remaining.
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