Lady Lions Split Opening Weekend
The Penn State Lady Lions opened the 2016-2017 campaign on the road Friday against Drexel University then at home on Sunday evening against Saint Peter’s and will start the season 1-1 in nonconference play. The team is looking to improve on a 12-19 record from last year that saw a series of injuries and young talent starting to develop.
While the team lead the Drexel Dragons through the first two quarters of the game, the team started to lose momentum in the second half and fell 83-60 in the Daskalakis Athletic Center. The game started to get out of hand for the Lions in the fourth quarter as Drexel outscored Penn State 24-7 in the last 10 minutes of the game. Drexel’s behind-the-arc plays were key to their win, as Drexel guard Jessica Pellechio scored 30 points, 24 of which were from behind the three-point line.
After missing last season due to an injury, redshirt senior guard Sierra Moore scored 15 points for the Lady Lions while sophomore Teniya Page, who was explosive during her freshman season, also pitched in with 15 points and seven rebounds.
However, Sunday’s game proved to be a lot different for the Lady Lions. Earning their 900th win in program history, the team rolled over Saint Peter’s with a dominant 106-50 win. The 900th mark is a huge accomplishment for the team, as only 16 other division one teams have reached this mark.
Following the win, Lady Lions Head Coach Coquese Washington was ecstatic about the achievement. "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."
Redshirt junior Lindsey Spann lead the team with a career-high 31 points, and said that the team’s focus was the main reason for the win. "I just think as a team we had a lot more energy and were really focused," Spann said in a post-game interview following the win. "We played with a lot of intensity. We fed off of that and didn't let our opponents affect what we were doing. We were able to control the tempo of the game."
In addition to Spann’s 31-point effort, Sierra Moore, Teniya Page, Kaliyah Mitchell, and Peyton Whitted were able to reach double digits during the game.
Coach Washington was also very pleased with the all-around performance Sunday afternoon: "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 after the game. "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."
The Lady Lions return to action this Wednesday at 7 p.m. as the team takes on the Akron Zips in the Bryce Jordan Center.
While the team lead the Drexel Dragons through the first two quarters of the game, the team started to lose momentum in the second half and fell 83-60 in the Daskalakis Athletic Center. The game started to get out of hand for the Lions in the fourth quarter as Drexel outscored Penn State 24-7 in the last 10 minutes of the game. Drexel’s behind-the-arc plays were key to their win, as Drexel guard Jessica Pellechio scored 30 points, 24 of which were from behind the three-point line.
After missing last season due to an injury, redshirt senior guard Sierra Moore scored 15 points for the Lady Lions while sophomore Teniya Page, who was explosive during her freshman season, also pitched in with 15 points and seven rebounds.
However, Sunday’s game proved to be a lot different for the Lady Lions. Earning their 900th win in program history, the team rolled over Saint Peter’s with a dominant 106-50 win. The 900th mark is a huge accomplishment for the team, as only 16 other division one teams have reached this mark.
Following the win, Lady Lions Head Coach Coquese Washington was ecstatic about the achievement. "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."
Redshirt junior Lindsey Spann lead the team with a career-high 31 points, and said that the team’s focus was the main reason for the win. "I just think as a team we had a lot more energy and were really focused," Spann said in a post-game interview following the win. "We played with a lot of intensity. We fed off of that and didn't let our opponents affect what we were doing. We were able to control the tempo of the game."
In addition to Spann’s 31-point effort, Sierra Moore, Teniya Page, Kaliyah Mitchell, and Peyton Whitted were able to reach double digits during the game.
Coach Washington was also very pleased with the all-around performance Sunday afternoon: "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 after the game. "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."
The Lady Lions return to action this Wednesday at 7 p.m. as the team takes on the Akron Zips in the Bryce Jordan Center.
