COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Freshman Taylor Mikesell scored a career-high 23 points, junior Kaila Charles added 19 and No. 9 Maryland used a strong finish to beat Penn State 79-67 on Sunday at the XFINITY Center.

Shakira Austin had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Terrapins (16-2, 5-2 Big Ten) and senior Brianna Fraser added 13 points, 11 in the second half run, in the win. 

"We talked a lot about our energy and playing hard from the tip these past few days," head coach Brenda Frese said. "One of our game goals was to start the game strong, and I was really pleased with how we were able to come out. I think our next step is being able to sustain that for 40 minutes. I thought once Teniya (Page) got into the game her rhythm really impacted them, and we started to turn the ball over. I loved the response out of the locker room. We talked about going inside and evaluating the possessions. I thought we did a great job of responding to that in the second half.

"I can't say enough about these three and the consistency between Kaila (Charles) and Taylor (Mikesell). This was the second game for Bri (Brianna Fraser) where I thought she's had an impactful game for us."

Mikesell drilled a 3-pointer to make it 64-56 with 6:30 left, and successive baskets by Austin in the lane provided Maryland with a 12-point cushion with three minutes to go.

In the first meeting between the teams in December, the Terrapins outscored Penn State 21-4 in the fourth quarter to pull out a 77-61 victory.

Maryland found itself in a similar situation this time. Although the Terrapins led by 13 points early, they took a tenuous 57-51 advantage into the final 10 minutes.

The fourth quarter, however, was all Maryland.

Teniya Page scored 20 for Penn State, reaching double figures in a 35th consecutive game despite being confined to the bench at the outset for violating team rules.

The Lady Lions missed their first eight field-goal attempts and trailed 21-8 after the first quarter. Penn State scored 27 in the second quarter for a 35-35 halftime tie.

A free throw by Page gave the Lady Lions a 48-44 lead in the third quarter before Maryland got five points from Fraser in a 13-3 spurt.

Maryland now owns the series with Penn State, 15-14, and has won seven straight matchups since joining the league in 2015. 
 
Maryland is ranked No. 9 in both the Associated Press poll and in the USA Today Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll.

Next, the Terrapins will travel for a two-game road swing next week. Maryland will play at Ohio State (7-8, 3-3) Thursday at 8 p.m., then at No. 25 Indiana (15-3, 4-2) Sunday at noon. Both games will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

-Terps-