If you’re going the beat the Penn State women’s basketball team this season, you better shoot well early.
Odds are, your marksmanship won’t be very good after the halftime break.
Entering tonight’s Big Ten clash at Illinois, No. 22 Penn State (13-4 overall, 3-2 Big Ten) has held 12 of its 17 opponents to 30 percent shooting or worse over the final 20 minutes. Only two foes (No. 16 Delaware and Bucknell) have shot better than 40 percent in the second half against the Lady Lions.
Overall, teams are shooting just 29.6 percent after the break against Penn State. With those numbers, it’s no surprise that the Lady Lions have outscored their opponents 664-488 (an average of 10.3 points per game) after the half.
They’re coming off maybe the best example of how their defense has tightened. On Sunday, No. 15 Nebraska shot 47 percent in opening up a 44-38 halftime lead. But over the final half, the Cornhuskers shot 24 percent as Penn State rallied to bury them 93-73.
What’s the difference in the second half?
“That’s a great question,” Penn State coach Coquese Washington said at her weekly news conference Wednesday. “I think they’re a team of feel, that they have to get a feel for the game, their opponent and how the game is being called. I think after the break they go, ‘OK, now we’ve got it. Now we understand what is going on. We understand what they’re trying to do.’ And, they’re good at making the adjustment. ... It’s all about feel for them.”
“There’s no excuses, but in the second half you can really see what your opponents are doing,” point guard Alex Bentley said. “You see their offensive plays and sets and you just kind of get into it. But, we do have to start off games playing our defense better.”
Thanks to the numbers, Penn State — one of the worst defensive teams in the Big Ten last season — is leading the conference in defensive field goal percentage. For an entire game, Lady Lion opponents are shooting 32.7 percent.
“(It) means we’re making people take tough shots and we’re not giving up a ton of easy baskets,” Washington said of the numbers. “I like the effort that we’re giving on defense. I think we’ve gotten better defensively since last year. I think we’re working harder on the defensive end. ... If we can sure up our rebounding, I think we’ll be in really good shape.”
Penn State will look for its third straight Big Ten win tonight against the struggling Fighting Illini (6-12, 0-5).
Washington is wary of Illinois, despite its record. The Illini have lost their last four league games by a total of 11 points, including a seven-point overtime loss to Iowa.
“They just haven’t found a way to close games out in the final minute,” Washington said. “They’re a very good defensive team. They’re good at keeping the score down and mucking up the game and making it ugly. And, they play well at home. ... I anticipate it’s going to be a dogfight.”
Forward Karisma Penn leads the Iliini in scoring (14.9), rebounding (8.1) and blocked shots (2.1).
“It’s tough to defend a player that gets so many touches,” Washington said of Penn. “She likes to put the ball on the floor and dribble around people. She can make shots in the paint and she’s extended her range this year.”
Penn State has won four straight against the Illini, but Illinois has won four of the last six clashes at Assembly Hall.
While Champaign hasn’t always been hospitable to Penn State, Bentley is looking forward to the contest. “Playing at Illinois is fun for me because my parents get to come,” said the Indianapolis native. “I get to see my people, so I love playing there.”
Notes: Illinois’s Jolette Law will coach the game barefooted as she joins with more than 1,000 coaches to raise awareness to Samaritan’s Feet, a project looking to provide one million pairs of shoes to children. ... Penn State is 27-14 all-time against Illinois. ... Maggie Lucas has scored 18 or more points in all but three of Penn State’s games this season.
Walt Moody can be reached at 231-4630.
