Nov. 13, 2016
By ANNA PITINGOLO, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Led by redshirt junior Lindsey Spann's career-high 31 points, Penn State won its home opener on Sunday, 106-50 over Saint Peter's in a game that saw five Lady Lions reach double-digits in scoring.
After dropping the first game of the season to Drexel on Friday, the Lady Lions (1-1) came out with renewed energy, dropping 39 points in the first quarter. Head coach Coquese Washington was happy with how her team performed early.
"It's fun and a little less stressful when you know that you can come out and put points on the board. One of the things we want to be doing is being aggressive and attacking," Washington said. "I think that our depth, when you add some of the players to the team that we have this year in terms of bringing Sierra Moore back, having Amari Carter on the floor, adding Jaida Travascio-Green and adding Siyeh Frazier, it gives us a few more options that we are able to stay fresh, sub in and keep the tempo going the way we want it to go."
Prior to the season, Washington wanted her team to play at a faster pace, and that was evident against Saint Peter's. The Lady Lions were able to move the ball up and down the court quickly, often getting to the basket before the Peacocks could transition.
"I just think as a team we had a lot more energy and were really focused," Spann said. "We played with a lot of intensity. We fed off of that and didn't let our opponents effect what we were doing. We were able to control the tempo of the game."
Spann went off for her second career 30-point game after being held to just four points against Drexel. After taking time to regroup and refocus between games, she started out fast, scoring 20 of her points in the first half, and never looked back. Spann also led the team with six steals in the game.
"I was just focusing on the things we talked about coming into this game. We wanted to play a fast, up-tempo game," Spann said. "I just got out there and transitioned and my teammates found me so I was able to score a lot off of the passes."
Moore, Kaliyah Mitchell, Teniya Page and Peyton Whitted also reached double figures in the game. The five combined to score more than half of Penn State's points, helping the Lady Lions to reach 100 points for the first time since 2013.
Penn State held the Peacocks (0-1) to just four made 3-pointers, which was a significant decrease from the 11 they allowed on Friday night. Washington said her team was able to make the adjustments it needed to after such a short turnaround between games.
"We had a little bit more energy on the defensive end and we had a lot more communication on the defensive end. In our game against Drexel we just had some miscommunications that led to some wide-open 3-pointers and Drexel is a team that will make you pay [for that]," Washington said. "It was good to have a game like this with a quick turnaround. Yesterday we didn't have a physical practice, it was more of a mental practice and to see them be able to transfer what we talked about to game day, I was very pleased."
The win marks the 900th in Lady Lion program history, making them just the 16th Division I program to reach that mark. Spann is appreciative to be part of such a "dominant program" and Washington agrees.
"It is humbling to be part of such a tremendous legacy," Washington said, "When you think about all of the coaches that have come before me and what they have done for this program and for women's sports at both Penn State and nationally, I am just thrilled that I can do my part to add to that legacy."
The Lady Lions are back in action at the Bryce Jordan Center on Wednesday when they host the Akron Zips. Tip is set for 7 p.m.