Three days removed from playing 34 minutes in a game her coach wasn’t sure she was physically able to play, Penn State forward Mia Nickson smiled at the question. How tough are you?

“I think I’m pretty tough,” said Nickson. “I think you wouldn’t mind having me on your team.”

Penn State would enjoy seeing Nickson back in the starting lineup for the rest of the season. She’ll be there tonight as the No. 19 Lady Lions (16-5 overall, 6-3 Big Ten) play host to Indiana (5-17, 0-9) at 7 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center.

This season has been a challenge for the junior co-captain, who missed eight games early in the season with concussion-like symptoms. After five games back, she suffered a muscle pull in her upper leg, which caused her to miss one game and play less than five minutes in two more.

In total, Nickson has played just 12 games this season and in five of them (thanks to the concussion and leg injury) she’s played less than five minutes.

It was looking that playing time again would be limited heading into Sunday’s game at Michigan State. Instead, Nickson was a bright spot in an 83-77 loss. Her 18 points was a season-high and helped the Lady Lions stay in the contest, which was decided in the last two minutes. Tough?

“She’s very tough,” Penn State coach Coquese Washington said. “She played 34 minutes and quite honestly going into the game I didn’t even know if she was going to play. In fact, I was leaning towards not letting her play and she kind of begged me, ‘Let me give it a try. Let me give it a go.’

“I was like, ‘Well, I’ll let you give it a go,’ but I wasn’t optimistic that she would play that much and that well. That’s how tough she is — she gutted it out.”

Tough? “To have as many injuries and things she’s dealt with this year, to mentally be strong enough and play the way she’s playing says a lot about her,” guard Maggie Lucas added. “She’s just a tough kid. We can expect that out of her.”

Washington said she has come to expect a battle from Nickson, who wants onto the floor no matter what the team trainers are saying.

“She wants to play through everything,” Washington said. “She’s a kid you’ve got to pull back and say, ‘Mia, you’re not healthy.’ She wants to fight and push through and get out there and help her team. She feels like she can help the team win.”

Sitting on the sidelines doesn’t come easy for Nickson, who had to miss the entire 2009 season per NCAA rules after transferring from N.C. State. She hated sitting out then and hates it just as much now.

And, that’s why her coach has to keep an eye on her at practice.

“Sometimes, I sneak in some drills I’m not supposed to be in when she turns her back,” Nickson said. “I understand where she’s coming from and she knows where I’m coming from. We’re always on the same page.

“She’s the coach and I follow her lead and directions, but sometimes I’ll test the waters a little bit. That’s the kind of relationship we have. If she needs it, she knows I’ll go out there.”

Nickson said the stints in street clothes would have been more difficult if her teammates hadn’t played well in her stead.

“This is the first time this has happened to me,” she said. “I was really excited that my other teammates were able to step up. We’re doing extremely well under the circumstances.”

As much as she has missed Nickson’s play so far this season, Washington wants to make sure the 6-foot-2 junior is on the floor when it means the most. Nickson averaged 10.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game last season. Hampered by her injuries and short playing stints, Nickson still is averaging 6.1 points and 7.3 rebounds this season.

Her 18-point effort against the physical Spartans could be a sign that Nickson is returning to form.

“I know that Mia is capable of when she’s healthy,” Washington said. “When you talk about our year and what we’ve done, that is what we’ve missed. ... If we had that all year, we’re probably a different, deeper, better team and more consistent in some areas. ... Hopefully as she continues to get healthy throughout the rest of the season, we’ll see her playing at that level.”

The Lady Lions will be look to bounce back from Sunday’s loss against the Hoosiers. Indiana is last in the conference and hasn’t won a game since two days after Christmas.

Washington said her club won’t be looking past the Hoosiers, pointing to an 80-77 victory last season in which the Lady Lions needed an 18-5 run over the final six minutes to win.

“That’s the Indiana I know and that’s the Indiana I’m expecting to play,” Washington said. “I don’t care what their record is. I know they’re going to play that tough matchup zone which can give you problems.”

Notes: Penn State is 27-9 all-time against Indiana, including a 15-2 mark at home. The Hoosiers have won six of the last 10. ... Indiana’s Aulani Sinclair is shooting 96 percent from the foul line in Big Ten games. ... Indiana is last in the Big Ten in scoring (57.7) and points allowed (66.7).

Walt Moody can be reached at 231-4630.