GAME DAY: Penn State WBB vs. Cleveland State

WRIGHT BACK WHERE IT BEGAN

• Tanisha Wright was named the seventh head coach in the history of the Lady Lion basketball program on March 19, 2026 after a decorated playing career at Penn State and in the WNBA.
• A Pennsylvania native and 2005 PSU grad, Wright guided the program to back-to-back Big Ten regular season titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances from 2001-05 including trips to the Sweet 16 in 2003 and the Elite 8 in 2004.
• In all four of her seasons in Happy Valley, Penn State finished ranked in the Associated Press top 25.
• Wright was a three-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, three-time first team All-Big Ten, three-time AP All-American honorable mention ad first time USBWA All-American.
• Upon graduating from Penn State, Wright was the no. 12 overall pick in the WNBA Draft.
• The Lady Lion spent 14 years as a player in the league, compiling five WNBA All-Defensive first team honors and two second team nods.
• Wright also spent five years in the WNBA as a coach including three seasons as the head coach of the Atlanta Dream. With the Dream, she was named the 2022 AP Coach of the Year and made back-to-back playoff appearances.

NEW LIONS IN TOWN

• Coach Wright brought in seven transfers and three freshman to build her 2026-27 roster.
• Kamrah Banks was the first signee in Wright’s class, coming to Happy Valley as a four-star recruit out of high school. She set a new school record at Crispus Attucks for most points scored in a single game with 63, a record previously held by NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson.
• Petra Božan arrives at Penn State after spending two seasons playing at Nebraska. She registered 65 appearances and 19 starts for the Cornhuskers, compiling 387 points, 202 rebounds, 31 blocks, 27 assists and 27 steals. In her most recent campaign, the junior transfer averaged 6.6 points and 3.4 rebounds.
• Devyn Quigley brings NCAA Tournament experience to the Lady Lions with two seasons spent playing at NC State. She played in 29 games and made six starts in her sophomore season while averaging 4.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.
• The Mountain West Freshman of the Year Skylar Durley transfers to Penn State as a sophomore. In her rookie year, she started in all 31 games and delivered 19, 10-plus-point performances and three 20-plus-point outings. Durley averaged 11.8 points on the season.
• Enjulina Gonzalez brings veteran experience to Penn State in her fifth season of eligibility. Gonzalez made stops at Georgia, Miami Ohio and Mercer throughout her collegiate career.

WHAT A WIN ON MONDAY WOULD MEAN

• A win over Cleveland State on Monday would be the Lady Lions’ second win over the Vikings in program history.
• A win would mark PSU’s 51st season-opening victory to combine for a 51-13 overall record in first games of the campaign. Penn State would also improve to 31-4 in home openers and 20-2 in home openers in the Bryce Jordan Center.
• A victory over the Vikings would be the Lady Lions 1,033 win in program history.

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

• Kelly Mazzante, the Lady Lions’ all-time leading scorer, joins the staff as an assistant coach. Mazzante boasted multiple accolades throughout her playing career including two Big Ten Player of the Year nods and 17 Big Ten Player of the Week selections. She was the first player to earn four first team All-Big Ten honors in conference history. She was also named the Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year in her senior campaign. She returns to PSU after 12 years of collegiate coaching experience to reunite with former teammate Wright, who she played alongside for three years.
• Wright added another Lady Lion Legend in Susan Robinson to her staff to serve as the Senior Director of Advancement and Strategic Relations. Robinson is one of the most accomplished Lady Lions, as the only Wade Trophy recipient in school history.
• Angie Potthoff also joins the Lady Lions as the Chief of Staff. Potthoff is a three-time AP All-American and a two-time WBCA All-American. Throughout her years in Happy Valley, she guided her team to three NCAA Tournament appearances including two trips to the Sweet 16 and a berth to the regional final in 1994.
• All four Lady Lion Legends including coach Wright have scored of 1,500 career points, combining for 8,892 points throughout their careers.

2025-26 IN REVIEW

• Penn State finished the 2025-26 campaign with an 11-18 overall record and a 4-14 Big Ten conference record.
• The Lady Lions concluded last year’s campaign with a loss on the road at Indiana.
• The Blue & White finished the year ranked 16th.
• PSU had two players land on postseason All-Big Ten teams.

SCOUTING CLEVELAND STATE

• Cleveland State finished the 2025-26 season with a 26-10 overall record, going 13-7 in Horizon League Conference play.
• The Vikings made it to the Horizon League Tournament semifinals after defeating Oakland in the quarterfinals and losing to Youngstown State in the third round of competition.
• The Vikings made it to the Great 8 of the WNIT after defeating Monmouth in the second round and Middle Tennessee in the Super 16 and losing to Arkansas State in the quarterfinal round of competition.
• Sarah Hurley returns for Cleveland State as a junior after appearing in 34 games on the season, starting in 20 of those contests. Out of the returning Vikings, she led the group in scoring last year, averaging 4.1 points per game.
• Paula Pique played in all 36 games last season, making 17 starts. She returns for her junior season after averaging 3.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game last year.
• Fatou Sane arrives at Cleveland State as a transfer from Duquesne for her junior year. She finished third on the Dukes in steals, averaging 1.3 takeaways per contest.

AGAINST THE VIKINGS 

• Penn State leads the all-time series against Cleveland State 1-0, winning the only meeting 107-52 in January of 1985.