Basketball: Women's

The Penn State women's basketball team downed Bloomsburg in an exhibition Saturday, 101-81.

Sophomore guard Maggie Lucas led the offense with 35 points, more than twice that of the Lions next leading scorer. Twenty-one of those points came beyond the arc, where she sunk seven of eight 3-point attempts.

Junior guard Alex Bentley and senior guard Zhaque Gray also showed off their speed on a few fast breaks and hard drives to the net.

However, the story of the game was not the Lady Lions' offense, but their lack of defense.

Bloomsburg countered Lucas by shooting 54 percent from downtown. They employed a motion offensive strategy that moved the ball all over the court until someone had an open jumper. The Lions were often unable to keep up, keeping the score close for much of the first half.

Coach Coquese Washington chalked it up to lack of communication and first-game nerves.

Under the rim, the Lions' offense was inconsistent. Junior forward Nikki Greene's minutes were limited because of three fouls in the first half. She also missed two free throws, two layups, and turned the ball over twice. Sophomore forward Ariel Edwards shot only 1-for-10 while playing for Greene for much of the game. Redshirt junior forward Mia Nickson was a bright spot, controlling the boards when she played by displaying some good moves in the paint.

With both Marisa Wolfe and Renee Womack out, coach Coquese Washington distributed the minutes pretty evenly among the players. However, freshman center Tori Waldner saw only four minutes of action.

Check Monday's Collegian for full coverage of the Lady Lions' exhibition.