Feb. 6, 2014
By Tyler Feldman, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Lady Lions have won six contests in a row and currently sit atop the Big Ten standings, but it is the Hawkeyes who have turned heads lately, averaging a conference-best 80.0 points per game.
Tonight, No. 10/9 Penn State (17-4, 8-1) will have another opportunity to shut down Iowa (17-6, 5-4) this season when the two teams tip off at 6 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Last time around, the Lady Lions handled the Hawkeyes scoring barrage, winning, 87-71, on the road in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. However, since losing its first two conference contests, Iowa has used a high-powered and efficient offensive attack to win its last five games.
"They [Iowa] are an outstanding scoring team, and they're capable of putting a lot of points up on the scoreboard," said Penn State head coach Coquese Washington. "We've been doing a pretty decent job the last few games of focusing on defense, in particular, our transition defense."
Despite topping Iowa by 16 points back on Jan. 5, the Hawkeyes currently have five players who are averaging double figures. Preparation for such a balanced offensive front is integral for Penn State.
"It [Iowa's top offense] means that everyone has to defend," said Washington. "There's nobody that can fall asleep and rest on defense. If you fall asleep on them, you're giving up layups or you're giving up three point shots. When they've got five kids who can score, and score in double figures, everybody's got to be aware."
A big reason for Penn State's success this season, especially against Iowa, is their height. Forwards Talia East and Tori Waldner have been the catalysts of Penn State's interior game and they are a big reason why the Lady Lions lead the Big Ten in rebounding, averaging 46.3 boards per game.
"They [Talia and Tori] are an extremely big part of our game plan," said Washington. "The impact that they have on the game defensively and from a rebounding perspective, along with scoring and using their size in the post is huge for us. We're certainly not where we are at this point without those two."
Last time out against Iowa, East notched her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds and Waldner added 10 points and 8 rebounds.
Even though Washington's posts found success in the previous contest against Iowa, East understands the competitiveness the conference embodies, as well as the importance of preparation.
"It's a completely new game," said East. "We know that we need to continue to be a presence and we know we need to have great defense because they can shoot the three really well. We know they play a smaller lineup, so our post players definitely have to play our game and play it well. We can't get in foul trouble, so we can continue and be on the court."
The "our game" that East referred to is what Washington's frontcourt has focused on for the majority of the season: force jump shots in the paint, avoid fouls and spring back in transition defense.
Following their bout against Iowa tonight, the Lady Lions will have just six more games left before the Big Ten Tournament. With that being said, Washington and her team are taking each game one step at a time.
"Just focusing on this game and this day, and executing the game plan, everything else will take care of itself," Washington said.
East echoed her coach's remark and even went a step further to explain as to why Washington has had such a positive impact on her players.
"Coquese has been so awesome in keeping us humble and keeping us focused on one game at a time," said East. "I can barely tell you who I'm playing at the end of this week or next week. Just focusing on the task at hand, and once you conquer that, on to the next one."