Blue White Illustrated

is heart was surely in the right place. But when the Bryce Jordan Center's public address announcer described Dara Taylor as "the ultimate pass-4rst point guard" during pregame introductions on Penn State's Senior Day in early March, it wasn't hard to imagine Taylor wincing just a little bit as those words echoed around the arena. One of the requests that coach Coquese Washington had made going into her senior season was that Taylor try to add some balance to her game. Washington wanted to make sure she wasn't forsaking open shots as she looked to put the ball in some- one else's hands. The Lady Lions' veteran coach wanted her starting point guard to be a dual threat, to be mindful of that old piece of basketball wisdom that says you miss 100 per- cent of the shots you don't take. In short, she wanted Taylor to shoot more. And, truth to tell, it wasn't really a request. "Early in the season, we would watch 4lm and I would tell her, 'These are open shots, you've gotta take them,' " Washington said. "Whether you make them or miss them, it does- n't matter. You've gotta take them. "I used to yell at her about passing up shots. If she passed up enough of them, I'd make her ride the bike, do some push-ups or something. OK, you don't want to shoot? We'll wear your arms out in a di5erent way." Getting Taylor to embrace that approach wasn't the easiest job in the LEADING LADIES A talented senior class hopes to extend Lady Lions' postseason FOUR ON THE FLOOR The senior class helped Penn State finish the regu- lar-season ranked second in the Big Ten in scoring at 75.7 points per game. Clockwise from top left: Talia East, Ariel Edwards, Dara Taylor, Maggie Lucas. Photo by Mark Selders H | W O M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L THE GAMES AT A GLANCE WHERE Bryce Jordan Center WHEN First-round games Sunday, March 23, at 12:30 and 3 p.m.; second-round game Tuesday, March 25, at 7 p.m. TICKET INFO Call 1-800- NITTANY or visit oss.ticket master.com/aps/pennstate/E N/buy/details/14NCAWB

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