By Brendan Straub
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Step-back jumper off the side of the rim. A corner 3-pointer that rims out. A half-court pass intended for an open teammate flies into the seats behind the basket.
It was that kind of night for Towson redshirt junior Kionna Jeter and the rest of her teammates Tuesday night at SECU Arena.
Jeter scored 18 points but was inefficient on offense, shooting 7 for 23 and committing four turnovers in Towson’s 73-67 loss to Penn State on opening night. Towson shot just 32.4 percent for the game.
Jeter feels practice and repetition will help the team moving forward.
“We got to keep working together in practice so we can get better and keep gaining that chemistry,” Jeter said.
Jeter, forward Nukiya Mayo and guard Q. Murray scored 51 of Towson’s 67 points. The trio were instrumental in the Tigers’ CAA conference tournament title last season — which the team celebrated before the season opener.
Towson looks different this year as it brings in seven new faces to the sidelines — and that lack of continuity showed on Tuesday. The turnovers were a difference maker as Towson finished with 26 to Penn State’s 21. Many of these turnovers came in costly situations that led to fast break opportunities for Penn State.
One turnover that was a game changer was when Towson guard Myasia Jones brought the ball up the court with one minute left in the fourth quarter, and Penn State guard Makenna Marisa stole it at half court. Marisa picked up the loose ball and went in for an easy transition layup on the other end. This gave the Nittany Lions a 65-60 lead with under a minute play.
“The bright lights come on and sometimes it’s kind of glaring,” said Towson head coach Diane Richardson. “We got to get used to getting the reps on the court and going out there and having no dropoff.”
In the loss, Murray shined with 18 points and some clutch 3-pointers to keep Towson close. In the 4th quarter, she fell to the court and was taken to the sidelines with an apparent leg injury. She would return only a few minutes later to finish out the rest of the game.
Mayo finished with her first double double of the season as she grabbed 10 rebounds and added 4 blocks as well.
Penn State had four players in double figures with Marisa and forward Siyeh Frazier leading the way with 15 points each. The Nittany Lions will look to continue their winning ways as they travel to Rider on Sunday.
The game was back and forth during the first two and a half quarters until Penn State took the lead 32-31 with 4:49 left in the third quarter and never gave it back.
“It was just within our grasp,” said Richardson. “We know what we got to work on and we got to move on to the next one.”
The Tigers will look to rebound from the tough loss over the weekend as they head to California to take on San Diego State on Saturday and University of San Diego on Nov. 11.