March 1, 2016
By Mike Gilbert, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Wednesday marks a brand new season for the Lady Lions. The Big Ten tournament serves as a chance for Penn State to continue their solid play throughout the second half of the season. Except now, there is an NCAA tournament berth on the line.
The Blue and White will head to Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis as the no. 11 seed in the Big Ten. Their first game will be against Illinois on Wednesday at 4 p.m. The Lady Lions handled the Illini in their first meet this season, beating them 65-56 in Champaign. According to assistant coach Itoro Coleman, the Lions can not afford to look past the first game.
"Their record doesn't show it, but they're a better team [than their record indicates]. They've played a lot of teams close and right now, they're looking to go zone make and miss, so we have to work on our zone offense."
Head coach Coquese Washington believes Illinois is a good matchup for Penn State because of the size of the Fighting Illini post players. Penn State will likely start out with Kaliyah Mitchell and Peyton Whitted down low, and rotate players in and out from there.
"I think Illinois is a team that matches up well with us in terms of having big post players. Sometimes for our post players, bigger post players are easier to guard."
Guard Lindsey Spann believes her team will be fine playing on Wednesday instead of on Thursday, believing past experiences can help her club.
"We're doing the same things we've been doing the past few weeks. We've played Iowa on a Wednesday; we played [Maryland] on a Wednesday. So it's the same type of thing where we're just really focusing on us, and taking it day by day to get ready for our first opponent."
One of the biggest challenges facing Penn State is the ability to stay fresh while potentially playing multiple days in a row.
"You train mentally and physically for things like this. It's a long season and we want to keep winning so you do what you have to do. Your body's going to feel tired, but you can do more than what your body is telling you," said Spann.
Spann also detailed the proper way to prepare during the week for the tournament.
"You have to take care of your legs, you have to eat right, you have to get proper rest and you have to get treatment...just trying to keep your legs under you and have the proper energy to get through the week."
To get past Illinois and face Purdue in the second round, Penn State will have to be aggressive on both ends of the floor, but offensively the intensity level must be high.
"I think you have to go out and be aggressive on the offensive end and you have to be aggressive and assertive to get to the free throw line and get easy points," said Washington.
Freshman guard Teniya Page also believes positive thinking will play a big part in surviving and advancing.
"[We need to] take care of the ball and not get discouraged if we don't make the first couple of shots," she said.
The tournament will be an incredible opportunity for the coaches, players and staff.
"When you go out there, there's just an energy when you walk into Bankers Life and you're in that tournament environment, there's an increased energy and I think that that increased energy and adrenaline helps everybody out," said Washington.
Going into the tournament firing on all cylinders, the Lady Lions are hungry for the opportunity to compete against the best of the Big Ten for a spot in the Big Dance. Washington said it best about her team Monday afternoon.
"They want to stay. They want to compete beyond Wednesday."
In order to go dancing, that is exactly what the Lady Lions have to do.
Tournament Preview
The Big Ten Tournament is set to begin Wednesday, and it serves as a fresh start for every team in the conference. Penn State is the eleventh seed, and is on the bottom portion of the bracket. Here is a brief evaluation of every team on the Lady Lions' half of the bracket
(Teams listed in order of seeding)
Ohio State
The Buckeyes come in as the no. 2 seed in the Big Ten. Ohio State is ranked ninth in the country, but have lost their last two contests. Before that, Ohio State rattled off 11 consecutive wins in conference play, including a win against top-seeded Maryland. Four Buckeyes are All-Big Ten players, including Kelsey Mitchell and Ameryst Alston, who are averaging 25.9 and 19.6 points per game, respectively. Guard play is a key for Ohio State.
Michigan State
Going 13-4 in Big Ten play was enough to get the Spartans the three seed in the conference tournament. Four wins in a row makes Sparty one of the hottest teams in the conference. Michigan State has a double-bye, and will face either Penn State, Illinois or Purdue. Forward Aeriel Powers leads the team in points and rebounds, scoring 21.9 points a game and nabbing 9 boards a game.
Purdue
Penn State nearly beat the sixth-seeded Boilermakers at the Bryce Jordan Center last month, falling in double overtime. Purdue is right on the bubble at 19-10 overall, currently a 12-seed in ESPN's Charlie Creme's latest bracketology. Purdue relies on three guards who average double-figure point totals. No big averages more than 4.2 rebounds per contest.
Nebraska
The Huskers come in losers of 3 out of 4 to close out the regular season. The team does possess wins over Michigan State and Purdue, but their record currently sits at 18-11, 9-9 in conference play. Against Penn State, Natlie Romeo had 32 points, while Jessica Shepard scored 29. Then, in Lincoln, the freshman Shepard had 20 while Romeo dropped 19. This forward/guard combo can score.
Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights check in as the Big Ten's no. 10 seed. They have dropped 8 of 11 to finish the campaign. Penn State beat Rutgers handily in their lone matchup. Their "big two" consist of guard Tyler Scaife and guard/forward Kahleah Copper.
Illinois
The Illini face Penn State on Wednesday and are the no 14 seed. They have solid post play in Chatrice White and Alex Wittinger, and play mostly zone defense. Illinois only has two conference wins on the season.