Lady Vols upset by Penn State on the road
The Lady Vols struggled to contain Teniya Page Penn State, being handed their first loss of the season.
Nov 20, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Tennessee Lady Volunteers guard Jordan Reynolds (0): Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
The Lady Vols made their way to University Park and couldn’t stop a hungry Penn State team, losing 70-56, their first loss of the season. The Penn State win marked the second time the Lady Lions have come out victorious in 11 meetings with Tennessee.
No. 13 Tennessee (3-1) struggled to make shots from three-point land, shooting a gloomy 2-of-19 from beyond the arc. The Lady Lions (3-1) started off hot with a 13-6 lead halfway through the first quarter, but an 8-0 run gave the Lady Vols a brief lead before Penn State regained control to close out the quarter up 15-14.
The Lady Lions went on a 16-0 run in the second quarter, boosting them to a 33-20 lead heading into the half.
In the third, Tennessee gained some momentum thanks to Jaime Nared. The junior scored 12 of her 18 points in the quarter, shooting 5-of-6 from the field with four rebounds. The Lady Vols outscored Penn State 20-11 heading into the final quarter, but were still down by four.
Penn State regained momentum in the fourth, outscoring the Lady Vols 26-16 en route to a win. The Lady Lions finished hot, hitting three deep balls and shooting 8-12 from the field in the final period. Kaliyah Mitchell came up big for Penn State, scoring 12 points and leading the way with 11 rebounds. Teniya Page would end up having the biggest scoring day for the Lady Lions, racking up 29 points and sinking a trio of threes.
Nared and redshirt junior Mercedes Russell both recorded double-doubles. They each came away with 11 rebounds — tied for Nared’s career-high — but Russell led the way in scoring with 19 points. After struggling in the first half, the duo was able to lead the way in the second, scoring 29 of the Lady Vols’ 36 points in the second half.
Tennessee won the rebounding battle 45-40, tying Penn State in offensive rebounds at 19 apiece.
The Lady Vols now look ahead to another road game, as they make their way to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech this Sunday. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. ET.
Edited by Dalton King
Featured image by Rich Barnes (USA TODAY Sports), courtesy of Tennessee Athletics
Danielle is a senior studying Journalism and Electronic Media. Before coming to UT, she was a student intern for 106.3 ESPN Radio where she assisted in the broadcasts and productions of Pigeon Forge High School football and basketball. She is also a former sports correspondent for The Mountain Press and worked as a promotions assistant for the Tennessee Smokies. If she's not busy with the Triple Play podcast or writing sports stories, you'll most likely find her at St. John XXIII Catholic Center on campus or watching sports somewhere while she sips on an Arnold Palmer. Follow her on Twitter: @Dani_Marie_15
