STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Alex Bentley scored 24 points and Maggie Lucas added 19 as eighth-ranked Penn State beat No. 23 Michigan State 71-56 on Sunday to win its 18th straight home game and build a two-game lead in the Big Ten Conference.
Nikki Greene had 13 points for Penn State (20-3, 10-1), which closed the first half with a 21-7 run to take a five-point lead and opened the second half with another 21-7 run to build a 19-point margin.
Bentley continued her climb through the Penn State record books by becoming only the fourth Penn State player to make 300 steals and the fourth player in the Big Ten to score 1,500 points, record 500 assists and have 300 steals in a career.
Annalise Pickrel scored 16 points for Michigan State (18-6, 6-4).
Penn State's point total marked just the third time this season that Michigan State yielded more than 70 points. Penn State scored 76 on the Spartans in a Jan. 6 game at Michigan State (76-55). Sunday's victory marks the first time since 2003-04 season that Penn State swept the Spartans
Penn State, with 20 wins, is off to its best start since the 1999-2000 season.
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