Penn State Lady Lions
Big Ten (22-7, 13-3)
With a senior laden starting lineup under veteran head coach Coquese Washington, Penn State women’s basketball has once again had an excellent season. The Nittany Lions have put themselves in a position for a high seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Big Wins: 12/15 Texas A&M (66-58), 1/5 at Iowa (87-71), 1/30 at Purdue (75-72)
Bad Losses: 12/11 at South Dakota State (79-83), 2/06 Iowa (70-73), 2/24 at Nebraska (74-94)
Coach: Coquese Washington (7 seasons at Penn State)
Why They Can Surprise:
The Nittany Lions have a fantastic mix of experience and talent in the starting lineup. Senior guard Maggie Lucas is the key to the offensive attack as she can do it all. Lucas can beat you from the perimeter and is lethal from the foul line as she shoots well over 90 percent from the charity stripe. Ariel Edwards and Dara Taylor score in double figures consistently as well. Penn State did play Notre Dame tough at home and has wins against other tournament caliber teams like Texas A&M as well. Thus, they are battle tested heading into postseason play.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The defense has let the Nittany Lions down at times during this season. In a loss at Nebraska, Penn State allowed 94 points and let the Cornhuskers shoot 16 for 22 from behind the three point arc for a 72.7 percentage. They also gave up 99 points against Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament. That can’t happen in the NCAA Tournament if the Nittany Lions are to advance a long ways. The depth is a little bit of a concern also as several starters are playing over 30 minutes a contest. Thus, foul trouble is something to keep an eye on in the postseason for Penn State.
Probable Starters:
Maggie Lucas, Senior, Guard, 21.4 ppg, 2.2 apg, 4.1 rpg
Dara Taylor, Redshirt Senior, Guard, 11.7 ppg, 5.0 apg, 2.9 spg
Ariel Edwards, Senior, Forward, 15.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg
Talia East, Senior, Forward, 7.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg
Tori Waldner, Forward/Center, 5.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Kaliyah Mitchell, Freshman, Guard/Forward, 4.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Peyton Whitted, Freshman, Guard/Forward, 3.0 ppg
Candice Agee, Sophomore, Forward/Center, 3.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.7 (40th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 65.9 (142, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.1 (96, 6)
Field-Goal Defense: 36.8 (37, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 3.6 (304, 12)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: n/a
Free-Throw Percentage: 77.9 (8, 3)
Rebound Margin: 7.2 (32, 3)
Assists Per Game: 13.1 (194, 9)
Turnovers Per Game: 16.5 (209, 12)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Cal Poly
2013 NCAA Round of 32 loss to LSU
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over UTEP
2012 NCAA Round of 32 win over LSU
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Connecticut
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Dayton
2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to DePaul
2010 NIT Round of 64 loss to Hofstra
2005 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Liberty
2004 NCAA Round of 64 win over Hampton
2004 NCAA Round of 32 win over Virginia Tech
2004 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Notre Dame
2004 NCAA Regional Final loss to Connecticut
2003 NCAA Round of 64 win over Holy Cross
2003 NCAA Round of 32 win over South Carolina
2003 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Tennessee
*all team stats through 3/6
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
