Basketball: Women's
Lady Lions improve to 12-4 with defeat of Michigan
The Lady Lions rebounded from Sunday’s loss to Michigan State with gusto Thursday, defeating Michigan 78-63 in front of a boisterous crowd.
Sophomore guard Maggie Lucas picked up right where she left off in the Michigan State game (in which she scored 33 points) by dropping 22 against the Wolverines, including 17 in the first half. Guards Alex Bentley and Zhaque Gray also showed up, respectively scoring 15 and 12 points.
As a team, the Lady Lions (12-4, 2-2) shot 55.4 percent from the floor. Coming into the contest, Michigan (13-4, 2-2) had let opponents make only 37 percent of their shots.
The win prevented the Lady Lions from falling to 0-3 at home against Big Ten opponents. Michigan was coming off a win against No. 11 Ohio State, who had previously been undefeated.
Penn State played with an extra pep in their step, it seemed. They were much more vocal than they had been earlier in the year on defense, which was something coach Coquese Washington had been stressing since the Michigan State loss. The crowd of 3,567 was also loud all night long, and that probably contributed to the Lady Lions’ exuberance.
Now, Penn State turns their attention to No. 15 Nebraska (14-1, 3-0) for a Sunday showdown in Lincoln. The Lady Lions lost to Nebraska in their Big Ten opener at home on Dec. 30, 71-63. If the Lady Lions win it, they’re almost certain to reenter the AP Poll after leaving it for the first time all year in this week’s rankings.