Penn State women advance to semis
INDIANAPOLIS — It was a sweet homecoming for Alex Bentley.
The Penn State sophomore guard, who attended nearby Ben Davis High School, scored 19 points to lead the second-seeded Nittany Lions to a 73-61 victory over No. 7 seed Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals Friday at Conseco Fieldhouse.
“It’s a great feeling to come back home and be in a familiar place,” said Bentley, who had about 35 friends and family members in attendance. “It’s just icing on the cake to play here.”
Julia Trogele and Maggie Lucas each scored 12, and Nikki Greene grabbed 14 rebounds for the Nittany Lions (23-8), who advanced to Saturday’s semifinals and will play No. 11 seed Illinois, which upset No. 3 seed Michigan, 55-47.
The Nittany Lions, who trailed, 31-30, at halftime, used an 11-3 run midway through the second half to open a 55-44 lead. Penn State hit three 3-pointers during the spurt, including two by Lucas. The Boilermakers (20-11), who lost in the quarterfinals for the second year in a row after reaching four consecutive tournament finals, didn’t get closer than seven the rest of the way.
Division III men’s tournament
• Manchester 70, Bethany 58 — Ryan McFadden scored a team-high 18 points in 13 minutes off the bench, but Bethany (21-8) lost its first-round game to Manchester. Tyler Delauder led Manchester (22-6) with 23 points.
• Rhode Island College 83, Penn State Behrend 54 — Antone Gray’s 19 points led Rhode Island College (20-7). Justin Kovac led Penn State Behrend (23-5) with 17 points.
Division III women’s tournament
• Juniata 62, Gallaudet 45 — Erin McGinley scored 14 points, and Jordan Speck had 11 in Juniata’s first-round win. Juniata (22-6) will play Greensboro in the second round today.