Blue White Illustrated

asketball is a game in which all the moving parts have to operate in syn- chronicity, and any glitch can throw the entire machine out of alignment. In an 85-77 loss to visiting Minnesota on Feb. 15, it was the perimeter defense that failed Penn State. The Lady Lions surrendered 12 3-pointers, including three in the 3nal nine minutes a5er they had pulled ahead, 59-58, on a Sierra Moore jumper. As a team, Minnesota shot 54.5 percent from behind the arc, led by Shayne Mullaney, who went 5 of 6 and 3nished with a game-high 18 points. "One of our main problems today was a lack of communication at times, and I think that's why we gave away the lead that we had," Moore said a5erward. "We have to remember that we need to com- municate at all times because, as you can see, we do a great job when we're com- municating on the court. When we're communicating, everybody knows where they're supposed to be. But when we're silent, no one knows where to go. That's when they got some open shots." "We're a unit," coach Coquese Wash- ington added. "We have to play together, 3ve parts have to be working in harmony. When the communication isn't there, then it's hard for all 3ve pieces to be moving and connecting at the level we anticipate." This year's Lady Lions are not one of those veteran teams with enough 3repower to overcome the occasional defensive lapse or turnover spree. The starting lineup they 3elded against Minnesota featured three sophomores, and redshirt freshman point guard Lindsey Spann played 24 min- utes coming o4 the bench. With so little experience to draw upon – starting forward Tori Waldner is the team's only senior – mistakes are going to happen. But while the loss to the Gophers dropped them to 6-20 and 3-12 in the Big Ten, those mistakes have been happening less frequently in recent weeks. Penn State lost its 3rst seven conference games by an average margin of 21.7 points, but it was much more competitive in the eight games that followed. The Lady Lions nipped Indiana and Northwestern at home for their 3rst conference wins of the season and they topped Purdue in West Lafayette, 54-50, on Feb. 8, their 3rst road victory of the year. And the losses? They've been much closer, too; 35h-ranked Maryland has been the only team lately to pull com- fortably away, using a 31-7 3rst-half run to coast to a 77-62 victory Feb. 5 at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Lady Lions received a week off fol- lowing their game vs. Minnesota, and it probably couldn't have come at a better time. They will need to be rested up for the last three games of their regular season and a Big Ten tournament ap- pearance in which they will have to win five games in five days to extend their season. "We haven't had a bye week until now, so I think there is some cumulative fatigue setting in," Washington said. "I think the bye week is coming at a great time. Our players can rest their legs and heal for the upcoming games." ■ | B Lady Lions striving to put pieces together WO M E N ' S BA S K E T BA L L

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