Lady Lions look to snap losing streak against Virginia Tech

Penn State women’s basketball’s road trip to California for the Radisson Chatsworth Thanksgiving Classic didn’t quite go as head coach Coquese Washington had hoped.

“I thought we played pretty poorly in both games,” she said on Wednesday afternoon. The team fell first to Cal State Northridge, 81-73, and then to BYU 63-51.

“The scoring, for both of those games, that was the thing that kind of stood out to me. We just weren’t getting the offensive production that we need. So we’ve got to find a way to be more consistent offensively.”

It’s a tough task for the team, who has been mixing up lineups without leading scorer Briana Banks, who had averaged 21 points per game before injuring her ankle. Banks has played just three minutes in the Lady Lions’ last three games.

“I’m looking forward to getting Bri back, and her scoring punch. I think we were able to get through a couple of games without her, but I think long-term, you lose 20 points a game, that’s an impact.”

Banks is day-to-day still, but looked mobile after practice as she worked on her perimeter shooting, and hardly seemed to favor her ankle.

Washington said she can see her team struggling to dictate the game offensively without Banks, especially early in the game (they’ve been outscored 101-77 in first quarters this season). Reactionary basketball is something the Lady Lions are hoping to avoid.

“It’s about our aggressiveness,” Washington said. “For some reason, we tend to have to feel the game out, and then we’re fine. We tend to get better as the game goes on. So we’ve got to have a higher sense of aggressiveness and attentiveness from the beginning of the game. I just think we have to be aware of it and be intentional about creating those opportunities.”

Lindsey Spann is a player who Washington said she thinks can step into the role of energizing her team out of the gate.

“I can see her doing it, but like I said before, she has to be a little bit more consistent,” said Washington. “But between her and Kaliyah (Mitchell), if we can get them to be a little bit more aggressive, a little more assertive and a little bit more consistent…I think those two are the ones we can probably get a little bit more out of.”

However, the consistency of Peyton Whitted and freshman guard Teniya Page has been key in providing a baseline from which the team can work, especially without Banks.

Whitted is averaging a double-double through six games with 14.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, while Page averages a team-high 15.2 points per game and has doled out 32 assists with just 15 turnovers.

“She’s capable of handling the role that she has,” said Washington of her young point guard. “She is fantastic at leading the team, she’s got tremendous poise, confidence and nothing rattles her.

“I would’ve said I was surprised (by her poise) earlier in the season, but not now. She’s shown what she can do from a leadership standpoint, from a direction standpoint, so I’m not surprised by it at all. She’s just a really, really good point guard.”

When the Lady Lions take on the Virginia Tech Hokies on Thursday night at 8 p.m. (Big Ten Network), they’ll face a team with considerable size and a few shooters, led by junior Vanessa Panousis’ 11.8 points per game.

“Yeah, they’re 5-1 on the season, playing with a lot of confidence,” said Washington. “They’re an aggressive defensive team and they do a lot of pressing and trapping…They have two really, really good shooters on the perimeter that have deep NBA range and quick releases.

“They’re a very balanced team. Their point guard is a really aggressive, attacking (and) quick player, and they’ve got post players that are athletic, run the floor. They’re a good team that will challenge us in a lot of ways with their athleticism and defensive prowess.”

The Hokies will be the biggest and most physical team Penn State has faced aside from No. 4 Tennessee, Washington said. Combine that with Virginia Tech’s 52.5 points-allowed per game and a plus-15.8 scoring margin, the Lady Lions’ ACC opponent will be tough.

“It’s going to be a battle for us tomorrow night,” Washington said.

This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Lady Lions look to snap losing streak against Virginia Tech."