Michigan State University
Penn St
Spartans Fall To No. 6 Penn State, 63-51
2/26/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb 26, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - The Penn State Lady Lions are one home win away from claiming their third outright Big Ten title in five seasons.
Kelly Mazzante had 23 points and Jess Strom added 18 as the nation's No. 6 team beat No. 22 Michigan State 63-51 Thursday night to set up a showdown with league co-leader Purdue on Sunday afternoon.
"Obviously, we're very thrilled with the win," Penn State coach Rene Portland said. "We came in knowing that this game would have a major impact on us winning the Big Ten. Now, we have a chance to do that on Sunday."
Strom had 10 points in the first 7:04 as the Lady Lions (22-4, 14-1) took a 21-8 advantage. Mazzante - the league's top career scorer for men and women - took over from there, scoring 15 points in the last 20:03 and boosting her four-year total to 2,771.
"Michigan State has been one of my biggest challenges as far as figuring out ways to score," Mazzante said. "I watched a lot of film, figured out ways to get open shots and tried to get to the foul line."
Jess Brungo added 11 points for Penn State, which never trailed and built a 50-24 cushion with its starters staying in the game until the finish.
Kelli Roehrig had 14 points and was the only player to score in double figures for the slumping Spartans (19-7, 9-6), who dropped their third game in a row and their fourth in eight conference home games.
"It was kind of an ugly game," Michigan State coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "They shot 40 percent from the field, and we shot 36. But it seemed like they hit a lot more baskets and shot a higher percentage than that. I think the rebounds told the tale."
The Lady Lions had a 36-28 edge on the boards, including 15 rebounds at the offensive end, and more than made up for their 18 turnovers, one more than Michigan State. Penn State's Reicina Russell had nine rebounds.
The Lady Lions, who needed a dramatic rally to beat the Spartans 64-62 on Jan. 4, were in charge from the opening tip and scored 13 of their first 17 points off turnovers. Michigan State's 14 first-half points were the fewest for a Penn State opponent this season.
"We came in with a zone and used a press we'd put in since the last time we played them," Portland said. "For us to hold them to 14 points in the first half was really terrific."
Much of that success came from Strom's contributions at both ends of the court. She was 3-for-7 from 3-point range, grabbed six rebounds and matched Mazzante's four steals.
"We wanted to set the tempo," Strom said. "We wanted to come out in the first five minutes and make a statement early. I think we did that."
Michigan State needed a 14-2 run from its reserves in the last 2:43 to cut a 22-point deficit to 10. But for more than 37 minutes the Spartans looked nothing like the team that led the Lady Lions 58-46 with 7:32 left in State College, Pa.
