Coach Coquese Washington got the start she had been looking for.
The rest of the game was a different story.
Pushing the ball up the court with a sense of urgency the team lacked the game before, the Lady Lions jumped out to an early 15-point lead against Michigan.
By the end of the game, Penn State's (15-6, 7-4 Big Ten) high-octane offense fell flat as the Wolverines (13-8, 5-6) picked up momentum and an eventual 66-62 victory.
With 11:49 remaining in the first half, senior Tyra Grant caught a pass from point guard Emily Phillips and drained a 3-pointer to give Penn State a 15-point lead.
Six minutes later, the Lions were still leading -- but only by one.
After extending the lead back to eight going into the half, it appeared as if Penn State was back in position to control the game.
Then Michigan's Veronica Hicks took over and single-handedly forced the Lions to fight back from behind for the last 16 minutes of the game.
Hicks scored 16 points in the second half for the Wolverines, giving Penn State's players fits on the court while trying to contain her.
Grant led the way for the Lions with 19 points, but she finished only 1-for-2 from the line as Penn State managed only 10 total free-throw attempts.
Junior Julia Trogele chipped in 11 points while Alex Bentley, fresh off a career high of 27, was limited to just eight points total.
None of the coaches and players could be reached for comment after the loss.
However, even though the Lions dug themselves a hole for most of the second half, they still had a chance to win it at the end of the game.
But just like against Purdue on Thursday, Penn State was unable to convert down the stretch.
Down by one with 43 seconds left in the game, Meredith Monroe grabbed an offensive rebound off a Janessa Wolff missed jumper, but the referees called a jump ball.
Unfortunately for Monroe, the possession arrow was in favor of the Wolverines, who got the ball back with their one-point lead still intact.
With Penn State needing to hold Michigan to a two-point basket to have a shot to tie the game, Michigan's Krista Phillips found an opening downtown and launched the ball into the air.
She nailed the shot and killed any chances of a Penn State comeback victory, assuring a second-straight loss for the Lady Lions.
Phillips' 3-pointer was one of eight total by Michigan, which used the long ball and its ability to keep the Lions from getting to the free-throw line to send Penn State to its second-straight defeat.
