South Dakota St. upsets No. 12 Penn St. despite blowing 20-point lead

Dec 12, 2013, 12:00 pm

BROOKINGS, S.D. -- Megan Waytashek and Steph Paluch scored 18 points apiece as South Dakota State defeated No. 12 Penn State 83-79 despite squandering a 20-point halftime lead Wednesday night.

The Jackrabbits (7-4) had a 23-point lead when Paluch opened the second half with a 3 and were up 21 with 14:39 left when a Dara Tayler three-point play started a 10-0 run for Penn State. The lead was still in double figures at the 5-minute mark before the Nittany Lions stormed back.

Ariel Edwards, who scored five straight points to pull Penn State within 78-77 with 1:19 left, finished with 24 points, seven rebounds, five blocks, four steals and three assists. Maggie Lucas added 20, and Taylor had a career-high 19.

Mariah Clarin had 13 points for SDSU and helped the Jackrabbits, now 3-13 versus ranked teams, outrebound Penn State 53-42. This is the highest-ranked team SDSU has beaten.