No. 19 Penn State Women Rally For 68-65 Victory
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Mia Nickson scored 20 points and Alex Bentley added 16 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 38.9 seconds to play, to help No. 19 Penn State rally for a 68-65 victory over Minnesota on Sunday.
The Lady Lions (18-5, 8-3 Big Ten) trailed by 15 points in the first half and still trailed by three with 90 seconds remaining. But Penn State closed the game on an 8-2 run to secure its eighth win in its past 10 games.
Rachel Banham scored 14 to lead the Gophers (12-13, 4-7) while Kiara Buford added 13 points.
Banham put Minnesota ahead 65-63 with a pair of free throws with 50.2 seconds to play, but Bentley responded with a 3-pointer that put Penn State ahead for good.
Nickson then stretched the Lady Lions' lead to three with a pair of free throws with 21 seconds to play. Banham missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the game in the final seconds.
Penn State, which made only one of its first 18 shots, repeatedly pounded the ball inside after halftime and chipped away at Minnesota's lead. The Lady Lions tied the game at 51 when Nixon completed a 3-point play with 9:11 to play. Bentley's layup a minute later gave Penn State its first lead since the opening minutes of the game, 53-51.
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