Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/104338
SHOOTING CLINIC Lucas reached 1,500 career points with a 19point outburst against Nebraska in early January. Also, with her four 3-pointers against the Cornhuskers, she moved into a tie with Northwestern's Michele Ratay for sixthplace on the Big Ten's all-time list. Heading into the Lady Lions' game against Wisconsin Jan. 17, Lucas had 244 career 3s. Lucas about the commitment. "I told her if she agreed to do it she had to produce every week," Petersen said. Lucas has delivered. "She's a perfect candidate for this kind of thing," Hays said. "Obviously, she's a special player based on what she does on the court, which helps, but she also has a personality and confidence she doesn't try to hide." In her blog, Lucas has covered a range of subjects, introducing readers to her nonbasketball-expert mother, Betsy, and detailing the shaky beginnings of her partnership with fellow Penn State guard Alex Bentley. "In my experience – and admittedly over only a handful of occasions – she's willing to give her opinions and not just fall back on clichés," Hays said. "I don't think it's making an unreasonable leap to equate that with what makes her so successful on the court. Even as one of the best shooters in the country, she's going to miss half her shots. But a miss here or there doesn't rattle her confidence." Lucas' shooting prowess is legendary. After winning the McDonald's High School All-America 3-point contest, she came to Penn State and broke the Lady Lions' freshman season scoring record with 552 points. She's been the team's high scorer for two years, reaching the 1,500-point plateau with a 19point effort in Penn State's victory over Nebraska on Jan. 13. She broke the Bryce Jordan Center's scoring record (for men or women) with 39 points Dec. 9 against Georgetown. Opposing coaches have tried every defense they can think of to stop her on the court, so she's changed her game. "Maggie's a competitor," assistant coach Fred Chmiel said. "First of all, she wants to win. Then she thinks nobody can stop her. This is one of the strides that she's making this year." Lucas ended her freshman year with a 1-for-11 shooting performance in Penn State's loss to DePaul in the second round of the NCAA tournament. After pouring in 30 points in a secondround tournament victory at LSU as a sophomore, Lucas was 4 for 16 in the Lady Lions' next game, a loss to Con- necticut in the Sweet 16. "Last year she would get frustrated, force some shots up, and she would take some illadvised shots," Chmiel said. "This year she sees it and she understands it. She knows how it's going to help her team win." Lucas has showcased her improved court skills several times this season. When she experienced what she said was an "off night" shooting (2 of 12) that led to a season-low nine points against South Dakota State, she recorded five steals. Nebraska coach Connie Yori noticed the progress Lucas has made. "I think her defense has improved," Yori said. "She is more capable of putting the ball on the floor and is still a good shooter. It looks like she has grown in those areas." Lucas had three steals in addition to her 19 points in the 80-58 manhandling of the Cornhuskers despite constant pressure from 6-foot-1 Hallie Sample and other defenders. Penn State's game with Nebraska aired live on ESPN2, and play-by-play announcer Beth Mowins had a look at Lucas in person. "Maggie continues to mature and develop her game to become a complete scorer," Mowins said in a postgame email. "Since she arrived as a three point threat, she has embraced the hard work necessary to develop her all-around game. "Some players are content to just do what they do well, but she's not satisfied with that. She recognizes her shortcomings and in the off-season turns them into strengths. She has also realized that she can help everyone around her get better. She helps teammates, and that creates opportunities for herself as well. She has made herself extremely hard to guard with her constant movement with and without the ball." As for the stilts, that's just one of the many skills she wrote about in her media guide bio, along with being "extremely skilled on a pogo stick." She's also a Twitter enthusiast. One of her favorite tweets is "Gamedayyyyybabyyyyyyyy." For Lucas, everything in her Penn State career is full of exclamations.