GAME DAY: Penn State WBB at Dayton

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.

LAST TIME OUT

• Penn State suffered second loss of the season to Cincinnati on Saturday. The Lady Lions fell 76-53 to the Bearcats inside Fifth Third Arena.
• Cincinnati got out to an early lead that was too much for Penn State to claw back from.
• Junior guard Devyn Quigley led the Lady Lions as the lone double figure scorer. The New Jersey native posted 19 points on eight-of-18 shooting from the floor. She also grabbed three rebounds and dished out one assist.
• Sophomore guard Ava Black led PSU in assists for the second game in a row, posting three.
• Senior forward Cristen Carter led the Lady Lions on the glass, compiling 12 rebounds.
• Graduate guard Enjulina Gonzalez nearly reached the double-digit points threshold with nine points on three-of-four shooting. She also totaled three steals, one assist and one rebound.
• Penn State outrebounded its opponent for the second-straight game, 37-30 and outscored the bearcats 32-28 in the paint.

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.

WHAT A WIN ON MONDAY WOULD MEAN

• A win over Dayton on Monday would be the Lady Lions’ third win over the Flyers in program history.
• It would also be head coach Tanisha Wright’s first win at the helm of the Lady Lions.
• A victory over the Flyers would be the Lady Lions 1,033 win in program history.

SCOUTING DAYTON

• Dayton dropped its season opener 91-87 to Illinois State in overtime on Thursday, Nov. 5. The Flyers trailed the majority of the game until midway through the third frame when MG Talle tied the game. Dayton led by as many as 11 points at the 7:07 mark in the fourth quarter until Illinois State came back to force overtime.
• The Flyers had four players score in double figures: Fatima Ibrahim had 23, Olivia Leung had 21, Sophie Swanson had 17 and Milee Smith tallied 13. Ibrahim also registered 18 rebounds.
• Dayton finished the 2025-26 season with a 17-14 overall record, going 9-9 in Atlantic 10 Conference play.
• The Flyers made it to the Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinals after defeating George Washington in the first round and losing to George Mason in the second round of competition.
• Olivia Leung returns to Dayton for her junior year. Out of the returning Flyers, she led the group in scoring with 8.7 points per game last year. 
• Ajok Madol played in all 31 games last year, making 30 starts. She returns as a senior after ranking second on the team last season, averaging 1.2 steals per game.
• Senior Fatima Ibrahim appeared in 30 games last year, starting in 14 contests. She led last year’s squad with 6.5 rebounds per game and averaged 1.8 blocks per game, which ranked second among the Atlantic 10.

AGAINST THE FLYERS 

• Penn State leads the all-time series against Dayton 2-1, winning the two most recent meetings, including one game in double overtime.
• All three of the meetings between the two programs have finished within a 10 point margin of victory for either side.