Jan. 5, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State Lady Lion basketball team is known to roar back in the second half. However, Sunday's Big Ten home opener's second-half rally fell short as Penn State lost to Illinois, 91-76.
"The first half, they have been eye-opening experiences and then once we settle down, you see that we are capable of playing with any team in the conference," said head coach Coquese Washington. "When are we going to be comfortable playing all of these firsts? I don't know. I think that it is different for different players. Lindsey [Spann] seems to have figured it out pretty quickly, but some of the others haven't."
Spann's debut Lady Lion season has been one worth waiting for. An ACL injury required the point guard to redshirt last season while she completed rehabilitation and training for a healthy but stronger comeback to the court.
The freshman point guard's determination and hard work has proven to pay off. She leads the team in scoring averaging 16.4 points per game and is second in assists totaling 50. Sunday's game marked the fifth time the freshman point guard hit at least 20 points.
The Laurel, Md. native proves to be multidimensional player in that she's comfortable shooting from anywhere on the court. Spann's confidence is something that the Lady Lions can trust in all situations on the court.
"When she [Spann] gets within 15 feet, she's just really, really dangerous," said Illinois head coach Matt Bollant. "She has the confidence as a freshman. She doesn't look like a freshman with the way she scores. And with the way she shoots the basketball, she does it right away. She got to the rim, she can make the three and certainly her pull-up is really special."
Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on December 30, Spann also demonstrates to be a dangerous asset on defense. She tallied two steals and a career-best six rebounds against Illinois on Sunday.
When asked what is so special about Spann, Washington responded without hesitation, "her heart."
"She doesn't have a lot of fear," Washington said. "Special players are not afraid of big moments...Lindsey is one of those players. From a skill perspective, when you can finish at the rim and you can shoot the pull-up [jumper] and the three and you are a multidimensional threat, then it is harder to shut you down."
Simultaneously, Spann explained that playing with heart is the most important factor on the court.
"You have to play with heart," Spann said. "You can't give up just because you're down."
It is no question that Spann has a bright future on the court and that she will continue to be a threat to Penn State opponents.
The Lady Lion basketball team hits the road for a Tuesday evening matchup against Wisconsin. The 9:00 p.m. (ET) tip will air on the Big Ten Network.