Unpredictable early injuries taking toll late as Lady Lions prepare for Michigan State

Last season, Penn State women’s basketball head coach Coquese Washington had to learn patience.

This season, somewhat unexpectedly to Washington, she has had to learn more patience.

When one of the team’s leaders, forward Sierra Moore, went down with a torn ACL just days before Penn State opened its 2015-16 campaign, plans for a full run-and-gun style roster were hindered a bit without her experience to aid a fairly young squad.

Then, top bench contributor Keke Sevillian tore her ACL just before Big Ten play started, and Washington’s fast-paced team lost a player who could offer the necessary spell time for others needed to play at a pace as rapid as she’d like.

“You lose Keke Sevillian right before the season, and then it takes you a few games to adjust to that,” said Washington. “I just think it’s an adjustment all season long. And certainly we’ve had the big injuries. ... But we’ve also had the small injuries that just stop you from practicing. ... That impacts game day performance as well.”

Freshman guard Amari Carter could also have offered such bench relief, but she too suffered a season-ending injury and Washington and her team had to recalibrate as needed. When it became clear as conference play began that center Candace Agee couldn’t keep up with the speed of the rest of the team, her minutes dropped and forward Peyton Whitted began to play more of a four-five hybrid (a role she had no idea she’d be playing as the season began) and Kaliyah Mitchell has stepped up as a defensive presence. Freshman center Ashanti Thomas’ minutes have increased and she’s improved incrementally, but it hasn’t been enough for the team to pull out of a four-game slump, and a 15-loss season thus far.

Now, the team is far more worn out than Washington would like it to be at this point in the season — not that she’s using that as an excuse. She is adjusting practices to help the players rest their legs while still trying to keep an upbeat and intense mentality.

“I think the injuries certainly have had an impact on our season,” said Washington. “I mean, there’s no question about that. But beyond that, it’s the hand you’re dealt and you play to the best of your ability. I’ve been really pleased with this team’s resilience and getting back after it every day. It’s not a matter of what you want to happen, it’s a matter of what hand you’re dealt, and you play that out.

“You know, we’re a team that we don’t wallow in the negative. We don’t wallow in the things that didn’t go right. We look at it, we face it head-on and we think ‘What can we do to get better, how can we improve?’ And we go forward.”

In the converse perspective, many players are getting a ton of in-game experience that they likely wouldn’t have had a shot at with a fully healthy roster and Washington thinks the future looks bright — though it’s likely she will enter the next season with her fingers crossed and a wariness of last-second twists.

“These guys are getting fantastic experience, and we will have a lot to build on next year,” she said, shrugging.

“It’s about planting seeds,” she added. “And one thing about planting seeds is that they don’t grow right away. They have to take root. And sometimes they don’t come until the next season. ... We’re about planting roots of growth.”

On the road

The Lady Lions (8-15, 3-9) are preparing for a rematch against the Michigan State Spartans (18-5, 9-3), who they last faced on Jan. 7 and to whom they dropped a 71-55 decision.

“You look at what went well the first time, what areas of improvement we need to see from the first time, and also look at what they’re doing since we’ve played them,” said Washington, in regards to beginning to loop through the team’s conference schedule a second time.

“It has been awhile since we’ve played them so it’s like scouting them for the first time.”

Spartans head coach Suzy Merchant expressed longing to have Teniya Page on her own team, after watching the freshman put up 16 points and steal the ball three times against the Spartans in the teams’ last meeting, and Washington knows the former will be more prepared to counter Page this time around.

“I think one of the things they’ll do is they’ll probably spy her, not let her get loose,” said Washington. “Maybe even double-team her a little bit, things of that nature. But, you know, Teniya has seen a lot of different coverage all year. We’ve had teams that have put a triangle and two, box and one on her. So she’ll be ready to go. We’ve just got to make sure she stays aggressive and assertive.”

Michigan State out-rebounded the Lady Lions 50-35 in the teams’ previous matchup, partially because they crashed their quick and aggressive guards against Agee and both Page and guard Brianna Banks were sent back after shots.

“They’re a really good rebounding team,” said Whitted. “So we’ve just really got to pound them on the boards. ... (Washington) has really been on us about running rebounders from the top of the key, because that really did hurt us last game.”

Penn State tips at Michigan State at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The game will broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

This story was originally published February 10, 2016 at 6:51 PM with the headline "Unpredictable early injuries taking toll late as Lady Lions prepare for Michigan State."