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LEWISBURG - It was easy for Penn State coach Coquese Washington to say good things about the series with Bucknell following her team's win. As for good things about her team - well, they'll have to wait.

Penn State struggled early to open a big lead and keeping one later on as it defeated the Bison, 77-62, for the third consecutive season Thursday night in front of 1,847 fans at Sojka Pavilion.

"I just think we didn't come with the right intensity and the right energy," said Washington. "Some of that is the bus ride. It's a different day for us and that's a very high school thing to do. We're used to getting in the night before and shooting around. I think that contributed a little bit to our sluggish start and we got to come and start the games better."

And finish better, too.

"I didn't think we closed the game particularly well, either," the third-year coach said. "We had a stretch in between where we got after it and got up 26, but that's the thing with a young team, learning to play at a high level for 40 minutes. We got to develop a killer instinct and I'm hoping that will come."

Bucknell coach Kathy Fedorjaka watched her team drop to 0-3, but again saw the signs that could make this Bison team, picked to finish fifth in the Patriot League preseason poll, one to watch as the schedule softens and eventually turns to league play.

"We're hungry for that first win, but I'm positive and excited about what I'm seeing in this group," said Fedorjaka. "The potential in this group still has to come together, but with five freshman, four sophomores and three juniors and kids growing into new roles, I'm really excited about the building blocks I've seen through the first three games."

The reason for Penn State's slow start could have been traced to the absence of leading scorer Tyra Grant. The senior didn't play at all in the first half and didn't start in the second, making her first appearance with 17:17 remaining. Washington failed to elaborate on a reason, saying only, "I decided not to play her."

Less than three minutes after Grant was inserted into the game, Penn State (3-0) doubled its lead from 10 points to 20. The advantage eventually grew to 26 points, but the young Lions failed to close out the Bison like a year ago in a 81-44 victory.

Bucknell chipped 12 points off its deficit in less than a five-minute span and closed to 71-57 with still 4:07 left, but the Bison never drew any closer and fell to 0-6 all-time against Penn State.

"Yeah, I guess we got a little complacent, we did," said Penn State junior Julia Trogele, who finished with eight points and a team-high eight rebounds. "That's something that we have to realize where once we're up that much we need to match that intensity the entire time and make sure the game is not over with 12 minutes left. We need to make sure we stay consistent and even push the score up a little more."

Grant finished with 10 points in her 15 minutes and was one four Lady Lions in double figures. Nikki Greene and Zhaque Gray had 11 each, while freshman Alex Bentley had 10.

Greene, a 6-foot-4 freshman from Texas, stood tall in the paint and had three of Penn State's nine blocks while holding Joyce Novacek to no field goals and three points. Novacek entered the game tied as Bucknell's second-leading scorer with Morgan Wrightson at 10 points a game.

Rachel Voss and Cosima Higham led Bucknell with 11 points each.

Bucknell turned the ball over a season-low 23 times - a mark improvement over the 34 it committed in a season-opening loss to Miami (Ohio) and the 29 to Iona College a day later. Just nine of those turnovers came in the first half, allowing the Bison to stay within striking distance for the majority of the half. They trailed 18-15 with 10:45 remaining before an 11-0 Penn State run opened a 14-point lead.

The Lady Lions showed off a deep bench in the first half as Washington continued to shuffle her lineups early in the season, giving younger players experience while searching for the right combinations. Ten different players saw minutes in the opening half and nine scored.

The Bison play three more home games before traveling to Niagara on Dec. 2, a stretch that begins with Fordham on Saturday night.

"You look at our next four games and they are all winnable ball games," said Fedorjaka. "But I told them what we can't do is let down. We still have to continue and improve. It's a stretch now where not only do we expect to go out and play hard and compete, but to certainly put those wins on the board, too."

Penn State (3-0)

Meredith Monroe 2-4 0-0 4, Nikki Greene 4-8 3-5 11, Julia Trogele 3-6 2-2 8, Zhaque Gray 4-11 1-1 11, Alex Bentley 4-8 2-2 10, Tyra Grant 3-8 4-6 10, Emily Phillips 1-2 0-0 3, Renee Womack 3-4 2-2 8, Nicole Arcidiacono 0-0 0-0 0, Gizelle Studevent 1-2 0-0 2, Marisa Wolfe 2-4 0-0 4, Janessa Wolff 3-7 0-0 6. Totals 30-64 14-18 77.

Bucknell (0-3)

Joyce Novacek 0-7 3-4 3, Cosima Higham 5-12 1-3 11, Rachel Voss 3-6 3-3 11, Morgan Wrightson 3-9 1-2 9, Trisha Krewson 2-11 1-1 5, Felicia Mgbada 3-5 1-2 7, Alyssa Dun 3-3 0-1 6, Christina Cukwuedo 1-3 1-2 3, Taylor Phillips 0-2 0-0 0, Lindsay Horbatuck 3-4 1-3 7. Totals 23-62 12-21 62.

Halftime: Penn State 39-27. 3-point field goals: Penn State 3-12 (Gray 2-5; Phillips 1-1, Bentley 0-1, Trogele 0-1, Studevent 0-1, Grant 0-3), Bucknell 4-12 (Voss 2-3, Wrightson 2-5, Krewson 0-4). Rebounds: Penn State 40 (Trogele 8), Bucknell 39 (Higham 11). Assists: Penn State 17 (Gray 5), Bucknell 10 (Chukwuedo 4). A-1,847.