Looking back, it is hard to pinpoint exactly what went wrong at the beginning of the season for the Penn State Lady Lions.Was it a lull brought on by losing the leading scorer in Big Ten history?
The challenging early season schedule that featured six ranked opponents in the first 10 games definitely played a part.
The offensive over-dependence on Tanisha Wright and complete lack of contribution from the bench certainly didn't help either. And surprisingly enough for a team that featured a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in Wright, during its early season swoon Penn State struggled mightily in defending the perimeter.
But since a loss on Dec. 21 against Texas Tech dropped the Lady Lions to 5-5 and made it appear as though the season might be a wash, the team has responded with a 7-1 run that can be traced to many different factors.
The schedule certainly hasn't gotten any easier. Four of the seven wins have come against teams in the top 25.
But what has changed is that sophomore Jen Harris has picked up some of the slack in the scoring department and the Lady Lions have regained their trademark defensive tenacity on the perimeter.
No player can take more credit for that turnaround than freshman guard Amber Bland.
"Amber Bland is coming in defensively and doing a great job for us," coach Rene Portland said.
After recovering from a bout of mononucleosis that cut into her practice time and limited her early in the season, Bland has recovered to become an integral part of the Lady Lions' defensive scheme. She has snatched 13 steals in the 17 games she has played.
Bland's playing time has steadily increased all season, and recently, she has been replacing Harris as a defensive upgrade whenever the Lady Lions are in need of a big stop.
"When I go in, I know that the reason I'm in the game is to play defense on a particular opponent," Bland said.
"I'll do whatever it takes for my team. That's all that goes through my mind: the harder I play, the better my team will be."
Bland has proven to be particularly adept at playing the top spot in Penn State's 3-2 zone defense, which the Lady Lions have used with great success in recent weeks.
It is not only her rangy build and quick reactions that help her to excel defensively, but her excellent instincts also allow her to constantly have her hands in the opponent's passing lanes.
Many times in recent weeks she has created numerous turnovers that go to other players in the box score by deflecting passes to her teammates.
Bland's coach at Youngstown Boardman (Ohio) High School, Ron Moschella, stressed tough defense religiously throughout her high school career, and she says she has always taken pride in playing solid defense.
She also adds that playing with a defender as accomplished as Wright has definitely added to her game.
"She is constantly teaching me in practice every day," Bland said. "Teaching me footwork, teaching me to be patient and how to read people. I mean, she is a great person to learn from, being the two-time defensive player of the year, but she teaches me offense and defense."
As much as Wright has helped Bland in her development, the freshman has helped Wright in many ways as well. While in the past Wright was always expected to lock down the opponent's most dangerous scorer, Bland's emergence has allowed Wright to occasionally get a breather on the defensive end.
"I think Amber goes in and gives us some great defensive things," Portland said. "She allows us to move Tanisha off the ball, and while in the past Tanisha has had to go 40 minutes on the ball, now we have somebody else and that really saves some energy for Tanisha to use on the offensive end."
