Gopher women fall short against No. 8 Penn State, 64-59

Jan 17, 2013; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Drey Mingo (24) and Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Rachel Banham (1) battle for a rebound during the 2nd half at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY Sports

The No. 8 Penn State Lady Lions continued their Big Ten conference domination Thursday night as they defeated the Gophers, 64-59.

Minnesota, coming off a loss to Nebraska at home on Sunday, had a chance to upset the Lady Lions, but Rachel Banham missed a game-tying three-pointer with 13 seconds remaining.

Banham finished the game with 19 points on 6-of-17 shooting and Micaella Riche added another 12 points.

Penn State’s Maggie Lucas scored 26 points and tallied six rebounds and four assists but as a team, the Lady Lions shot 35 percent from the field.

The Gophers were out-shot by the Lady Lions, 68 to 49, and managed to make nearly 45 percent of their attempts, but 23 turnovers crippled the potential upset bid. Banham and Kionna Kellogg combined for 12 turnovers.

There were 13 lead changes in the game and the biggest lead by either team was five points.

The loss drops the Gophers to 2-4 in conference play and 13-7 overall.

Minnesota will host Illinois on Monday at Williams Arena.