UNIVERSITY PARK - This was not the Penn State women's basketball team's best offensive performance, far from it. The same Lady Lions who scored no less than 95 points in each of their previous three games came nowhere close to matching that mark Sunday against South Carolina.
But judged on its opponent, Penn State's defensive intensity was every bit as dominant against the Gamecocks as it was one week earlier, when it held Rider to a measly 21 points.
Penn State beat South Carolina, 78-48, before 3,321 at the Bryce Jordan Center to improve to 4-0. It's a small sample size, but the Lady Lions are giving up an average of 34.5 points in two home games, compared with 98 points in two road games, both of which went to overtime.
"We just need to play every game here," Penn State coach Coquese Washington said with a smile. "I thought our zone was active for the most part, and we didn't give up too many wide open shots.
"But we were active and moving in the zone. That's what we wanted to do coming into the game, is make them shoot the ball from the outside, make them miss shots."
South Carolina did just that, shooting 24.3 percent for the game, seven days after Rider shot 15.4 percent in its loss here.
Ieasia Walker, the Gamecocks' leading scorer, finished with 14 points but shot 0-for-8 in the second half.
Senior captain Julia Trogele's 19 points and 11 rebounds led four Penn State players who scored in double figures.
Alex Bentley and Maggie Lucas each scored 14 points, and Mia Nickson added 11.
"Just to know that we can play with a lead and keep a lead is really refreshing," Trogele said, "because we need to know that we can consistently play with the same intensity whether we're down or up by so much."
Washington had high words of praise for Trogele, who has been featured in all five positions on the floor so far. Trogele's sixth career double-double Sunday came one game after her 10-point, 15-rebound effort at Oakland (Mich.).
"She's doing what you expect seniors to do, and that's play with a lot of confidence, lead the team by example, be selfless and have a will to win that rubs off on everybody else," Washington said. "And she's done that, and it's been especially evident these past two games."
SOUTH CAROLINA (2-2, 0-0): Walker 5-18 3-6 14; Sutton 3-10 3-6 10; Bruner 1-4 1-4 3; Strickland 1-15 2-2 5; May 1-5 1-2 3; Sellers 0-0 0-0 0; Wilson 0-0 0-2 0; Grant 2-7 0-1 4; Brewer 3-7 1-4 7; Stephens 1-2 0-0 2; Newton 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 17-70 11-27 48.
PENN STATE (4-0, 0-0): Trogele, Julia 5-8 7-9 19; Bentley, Alex 7-12 0-0 14; Lucas, Maggie 5-8 2-3 14; Nickson, Mia 5-7 1-3 11; Gray, Zhaque 3-6 0-2 8; Edwards, Ariel 1-4 4-4 6; Wolfe, Marisa 0-2 4-4 4; Womack, Renee 1-3 0-0 2; Greene, Nikki 0-3 0-0 0; Studevent, Gizelle 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-54 18-25 78.
Halftime: Penn State 38, South Carolina 22. South Carolina 3-21 (Strickland 1-9; Sutton 1-4; Walker 1-6; Newton 0-1; Rebounds-South Carolina 49 (Brewer and May 8), Penn State 42 (Trogele 10). Assists: South Carolina 5 (Wilson and Walker 2), Penn State 12 (Gray 4). Total fouls: South Carolina 23, Penn State 25. A: 3321.
