Big 4th quarter for Penn State women’s basketball vs. Iowa shows program’s growth
Penn State jogged off the court at the Bryce Jordan Center and into the locker room, facing a 16-point deficit at halftime.
This deficit turned into 20 points at the end of the third quarter as the Lady Lions struggled against the Big Ten’s top team — No. 18 Iowa.
But then in the fourth quarter something changed as Penn State roared back to make it an eight-point game. In those final 10 minutes, the Lady Lions showed growth, exhibiting a glimpse of the team coach Carolyn Kieger wants them to be, despite the 77-66 loss to the Hawkeyes.
“It gives us motivation to keep going, to keep pushing,” Kieger said. “Like I said, we’ve got to keep learning lessons and when we have moments like that it gives us chances to watch film as a team and show them that this is what we are talking about. We are capable.”
These lessons that Kieger taught all year were on display in the fourth quarter. Getting hands up, diving on the floor, boxing out all of these are big points for Kieger, and they were on display as the Lady Lions outscored Iowa 20-11 in the final quarter.
Seven of Iowa’s 16 turnovers came in this quarter. The Hawkeyes were held to only three assists, while they had 15 in the other 30 minutes.
Penn State controlled the pace of play against the best team in the Big Ten, but now it needs to make this effort consistent, especially in her team’s compete and work ethic.
And that starts with a simple phrase — win the moment.
“We keep talking about that whether it is a weight room session, a huddle, a timeout, a halftime, a baseline out-of-bounds situation we are trying to win that moment and find little wins along the way,” Kieger said. “I think that the fourth quarter showed that we had fight, we won that fourth quarter but unfortunately, there are four quarters and it all adds up to that one win or loss and we have to learn how to be consistent.”
The raw frustration that Kieger has shown after previous losses this season wasn’t on display on Thursday night, in fact the first-year coach can take some positives away from those final 10 minutes.
“So when we are able to have those moments in games and then watch film as a team, pretty soon that one quarter becomes two and two quarters becomes three and then pretty soon you are playing a complete game,” Kieger said. “We just have to keep having those moments so we can show it on film.”
And for freshman guard Shay Hagans, who had a huge role in the fourth quarter comeback with her stifling effort on the defensive end of the court, this game shows the progress the team has made under Kieger, despite still having many lessons to learn.
“We’re trying to set a goal right now,” Hagans said. “We have that mindset and we want to do it but we’re not giving it our all.
“I feel like everything comes from practice, so if we win in practice, we are going to win in the game. And I feel like we have to have that Mamba mentality. We always just have that one struggle, and if we just combine as a team we can make it as far as we want to be.”
Kieger has been in this rebuilding situation before at Marquette, and she is confident she knows how to turnaround this Penn State program.
The Lady Lions have shown flashes of being a very competitive team this season.
But now Kieger and the rest of the Penn State program have to turn these flashes into complete games. And according to Kieger, this will happen, it just takes time.
“You cannot snap your fingers and all of a sudden think that you are going to be a great basketball team, a great basketball program,” Kieger said. “It takes time. It takes effort and it takes a very high standard, and I’m absolutely not lowering my standard one bit. However, it’s all about teaching, it’s all about growing.
“I know next year when we are in these kinds of ball games, I guarantee that you are going to see a way different team.”
This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 10:50 PM.
