Jan. 1, 2016
By Mike Gilbert, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
University Park, Pa.- With the game still in jeopardy, Teniya Page calmly let Northwestern know that she wasn't going to let her team lose their conference opener. With under three minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Page took charge on a fast break and hit a huge three-pointer that gave the Lady Lions a 69-64 lead, one that they would not look back from, as Penn State defeated No. 14 Northwestern 79-72 at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Page could have driven the lane for a lay-up, but she made a gutsy decision and pulled up for the big three-pointer. According to head coach Coquese Washington, Page showed a lot of confidence in herself to be able to take and hit a shot like that.
"You know what, I trust [our guards]. If she felt like that was a good shot for her, I'll go with her and support her," Washington said. "It was a shot where if she makes it, it is great but if she were to miss it, it really wouldn't hurt us that much. I like the confidence that it took for her to take it. She has been playing a great game. I trust her. It turned out to be a really big shot for us."
With the win, the Blue and White would hand the Wildcats their second loss of the season, and it could not have been accomplished without a lights out performance from the star freshman. Page scored 27 points on the night, notching her second 20-point game in her young career in Happy Valley. The Lions are also fortunate to be able to pair her with some experience in the backcourt.
Senior guard Brianna Banks starts alongside Page, and she had a career night as well, dropping 25 points and nabbing seven rebounds while adding three steals. She also was near perfect from the charity stripe, knocking down 11 of 12 free throws, with some coming in the waning minutes. The mix of the athletic, young guard in Page with the experienced leader in Banks forms a dynamic duo that allows Penn State to be able to win big conference games like the one on Thursday, especially close contests.
Banks credited the way the team practiced for the way the team came out and played on Thursday.
"I was just trying to be aggressive in the game today. That was my main motive. Being aggressive and strong was really a point of emphasis in practice."
Page reinforced the aggressive mindset the team has after the game.
"It was about coming out and shooting the ball rather than passing up shots," she said. "Taking care of the ball and making free throws at the end were the two big things."
Northwestern began the night on a 16-9 run, but back-to-back layups thanks to some crisp passing, and a big three-pointer from Page allowed the Lady Lions to tie the game at 16. The ability to adjust and find go-to players is critical in Big Ten play, and it seemed all night that Banks and Page were two players that would not allow Northwestern to run away with the game even after going on a few runs. Washington had a feeling her guards were starting to get into a zone coming into the game.
"The way our guard play is rounding out, I think our play is becoming more consistent," she said.
Washington got the consistency she wanted from her guards and then some in a win that could really swing momentum in Penn State's favor moving through the Big Ten during the New Year.
The Lady Lions will look to continue the up-tempo style of play and aggressiveness in the team's first away conference game of the season, January 3rd in Minneapolis against the Golden Gophers of Minnesota.