Lady Lions blow out Cal (Pa.) in home exhibition
In their first exhibition contest of the season, the No. 8 Lady Lions cruised past California (Pa.), 95-39, at the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday.
Yet, just like any exhibition or in the hit television show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” the points do not really matter. It’s all about execution and grinding through the early season woes.
At halftime, those woes became clear as post play and turnovers limited the Lions to only a 25-point lead over the Division II foe, with the Lions outrebounding the Vulcans by just five.
“We gave up way too many offensive rebounds, that’s still an area of concern for us,” coach Coquese Washington said.
Of the Vulcans’ total 39 rebounds, 23 came on the offensive end, allowing 12 second chance points in the process. Though, California shooting 18.1 percent from the floor, spared the Lions from it being worse.
The Lions improved significantly in the second half, outscoring the Vulcans 47 to 16. One key contributor was senior forward Nikki Greene.
Greene struggled early as she committed three fouls in the first half, which limited her to only nine minutes and three points in the initial 20 minutes.
However, the second half told a different story for Greene as she collected 15 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks with no fouls.
“I think going into halftime, I just kind of recomposed myself,” Greene said. “As soon as I walked out of the locker room, I talked to Coquese and asked for adjustments. After that I pretty much played with a clear mind and focused on what needed to be done.”
Greene said the adjustments included playing team defense and keeping her hands off the guards as she was playing the three.
Junior guard Maggie Lucas, who scored 19 points with four assists and four steals, added the team also needed to find Greene the ball.
Other notable standouts were senior guard Alex Bentley who scored 16 points with four assists and redshirt junior guard Dara Taylor, who scored seven points with four rebounds and five assists.
NOTES: Freshman center Candice Agree did not dress Saturday due to a dislocated finger that she suffered in practice. Washington reassured Agree will play next Sunday when the Lady Lions open their regular season schedule against Howard.