=== Penn State downs Purdue to take top spot in Big Ten standings ===
 
 University  Park,  PA (Sports  Network) -  Maggie Lucas had  17 points and six
 rebounds and led eighth-ranked Penn State to a 69-61 win over No. 13 Purdue on
 Monday.
 
 Alex  Bentley scored  13 points and Mia Nickson registered 11 points and three
 steals  for the  Lady Lions (18-3, 8-1 Big  Ten), who now hold the top seed in
 the  Big Ten  standings. Penn  State came  into the  game off  a loss  against
 Wisconsin, its first since Dec. 6 against Connecticut.
 
 Courtney  Moses had  a game-high 21 points  and Drey Mingo added 13 points for
 the  Boilermakers (18-4,  7-2), who  had  won three  in a  row. Taylor  Manuel
 registered 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
 
 Penn  State led  the entire  game and  didn't let  up. By  halftime, it  had a
 34-23 advantage.
 
 With  13:35 left in  regulation, the Lady Lions held a 46-37 lead when a layup
 by  Manuel started a 11-4 run for the Boilermakers. With under nine minutes to
 go, Purdue cut the deficit to 52-50.
 
 Both  teams traded  blows over  the next  four minutes.  After a  3-pointer by
 Lucas,  Purdue's  K.K. Houser  fired back  with a  3-point shot  of her own to
 bring  it  within 55-53 with eight  minutes to play. Mingo's layup brought the
 Boilermakers within two again before Penn State's Nikki Greene answered with a
 layup of her own.
 
 However, Penn State went on a 10-0 run and led 67-55 with under two minutes to
 go. Greene scored six points during the swing.
 
 Purdue had a 6-0 run over the next forty seconds, but with just 1:15 left, the
 game was out of reach. Bentley made the final shot with 51 seconds remaining.
 
 
 02/04 21:52:24 ET

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