Blue White Illustrated

Improved depth helping Lions deal with injuries I n his team's preseason scrimmage against Seton Hall, Penn State head coach Patrick Chambers presented a youthful starting five. Philadelphia freshmen Tony Carr and Lamar Stevens were tabbed alongside Josh Reaves, Shep Garner and Julian Moore. With veteran small forward Payton Banks absent due to a nagging hamstring injury in an exhibi- tion win against Lock Haven, Cham- bers started the same group. In the team's opener against Al- bany, the Nittany Lions played Carr, Garner, Banks, Stevens and Moore, while Reaves nursed an injury to his lower left leg. Though the injuries were unwel- come, they offered an early look at the program's new, higher quality of depth. "Technically we could have eight guys starting," Chambers said. Stating that Terrence Samuel and Mike Watkins had also earned the right to start, Chambers broke down the qualities that he's seen in the players who have emerged. "Tony has been great running the offense," he said. "Shep has been his usual self, and he's shooting even more efficiently if you can imagine that. Josh Reaves has been our MVP in the summer and the fall. Lamar has been a man-child, he's been a beast in a lot of situations where he's commanding double-teams in the post, he's driving the basketball, he's getting himself to the free throw line and he's doing a better job rebound- ing. And then Julian has been really steady. Every day you know what you're going to get from Julian. He's finishing, he's playing great defense, he's rebounding the ball. " Adding Banks to the mix, plus Davis Zemgulis and Isaiah Washing- ton, both of whom Chambers has praised for their off-season im- provements and expected impact, gives the team unprecedented depth. By the conclusion of the preseason, Chambers affirmed that the team has been better on offense than defense. An aggressive approach, extra pos- sessions, a three-quarter-court press and a penchant for creating turnovers have all allowed the Nit- tany Lions to score at the 80-point threshold Chambers had hoped to hit. Working to find the right player combinations, the Nittany Lion head coach said his choices could change depending on matchups and how players are performing individually through the course of the season. He's excited about the possibilities, and early performances have revealed a new identity for the Nittany Lions. "It's been a lot of fun to coach this team. I'm enjoying it," Chambers said. "Some days I have to pull them back, which is great. Usually coaches come up with drills to make them tougher, compete harder, get after it a little bit. With these guys, you don't have to. They really love to compete. "It's really exciting. We've got a lot of depth. There are definitely eight who could start, but that's the team that we're going with." –N.B. Penn State earned a milestone victory on Nov. 13 when it defeated Saint Peter's, 106-50, in its home opener at the Bryce Jordan Center. The win was the 900th in Lady Lion history – a history that dates back to February 1965, when Penn State welcomed Bloomsburg for its first varsity women's basketball game. Coached by Marie Litner, the Lady Lions won that game, 39-33. "It's humbling to be part of such a tremendous legacy," coach Coquese Washington said. "When you think about all of the coaches who have come before me and what they have done for this pro- gram and for women's sports at both Penn State and nationally, I'm just thrilled that I can do my part to add to that legacy." Penn State became only the 16th NCAA Division I program to reach 900 victo- ries. Five players scored in doubles against Saint Peter's, including junior guard Lindsey Spann with a career-high 31. Sophomore guard Teniya Page added 19 points, while senior forward Kaliyah Mitchell had 11 points and eight re- bounds, as Penn State coasted to its first 50-point win in nearly four years. The victory came on the heels of a much less successful opener two nights earlier. The Lady Lions were thumped at Drexel, 83-60. Dragons guard Jessica Pellechio set a Penn State opponent record by hit- ting eight 3-pointers to finish with 30 points. In addition, Drexel was perfect on 22 free throw attempts and pulled away in the second half after leading by four at the break. Page and senior guard Sierra Moore were the only Penn State players to reach double figures, finishing with 15 points apiece. –MATT HERB Lady Lions claim historic victory in home opener W O M E N 'S B A S K E T B A L L CHAMBERS

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