The Lady Lions have long been the more successful basketball program to play in Happy Valley. But they endured a woeful 6-24 (3-15 Big Ten) record last season, following three straight Big Ten championships and the departure Penn State great Maggie Lucas.
Coach Coquese Washington hopes to improvement from a Penn State team that has bolstered its roster this season with a touted freshman class comprised of guards Amari Carter and Teniya Page, forward Jaylen Williams plus center Ashanti Thomas. The Lady Lions also welcome senior transfer Brianna Banks, who sat out last season per NCAA rules after transferring from UCONN.
Lindsey Spann returns for her sophomore season, after a leading the team in scoring last year with 13.2 points per game.
Penn State hosted California (Pa.) on Sunday for an exhibition game in Happy Valley. Penn State took a just an 11 point lead into halftime, shooting 44 percent from the field but used a 24-10 third quarter to distance themselves as the Lady Lions pulled away for an 84-58 victory.
With a bevy of talent in the backcourt, coach Washington opted to start Spann, Page and Banks. Banks and Page starred in their Lady Lions debut, Banks dropping a team-high 20 points on 8 for 14 from the field, while Page added seven points but tallied 10 assists.
Spann scored 13 points and record two steals in 26 minutes of action.
The starting front court also gave coach Washington a good effort, Kaliyah Mitchell and Peyton Whitted combined to go 11 of 18 for 31 points and 24 rebounds.
An area of concern for Penn State has been perimeter shooting, coming in last in the conference last season in three point shots. The Lady Lions went 2 for 12 from distance on Sunday.
Penn State opens its season Friday, Nov. 13 against Holy Cross at the Bryce Jordan Center.
