STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Maggie Lucas and Alex Bentley scored 22 points apiece to lead Penn State (No. 14 ESPN/USA Today, No. 12 AP) to a 72-60 victory over Washington State on Friday night in both teams' season opener.
Penn State struggled to improve to 5-0 in season openers under coach Coquese Washington. The Lady Lions committed 24 turnovers -- including 17 in the first half -- shot 36 percent from the field and trailed by three at halftime.Besides Bentley and Lucas, no Lady Lion had more than seven points.Penn State finished the game on a 9-0 run over the final 5:07.Reserve Sage Romberg scored 12 points for Washington State. The Cougars' bench accounted for nearly half of the team's offense, scoring 29 points.In the wake of a sex abuse scandal that rocked Penn State's campus this week, the game began with a moment of silence to recognize victims of child abuse.
