Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/78639
SOPHOMORE SURGE W O M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L Slump? What slump? Maggie Lucas's second season has been as stellar as her first BY MARY JO HAVERBECK Blue White Contributor N DRIVEN TO SUCCEED Mem- ories of Penn State's 75-73 loss to DePaul in the second round of last year's NCAA tournament have helped keep Lucas motivated. She vowed to make 100,000 shots in the off-season and acheived that goal over the summer. Annemarie Mountz 20 M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 1 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M obody told the 5,209 fans at Penn State's game with Ohio State that they had to give the same applause to every Lady Lion starter introduced before the contest. So when the public address an- nouncer brought 5-foot-9 sophomore guard Maggie Lucas off the bench and into the spotlight, the applause was greater for her than for any other play- er. Neither coach Coquese Washington nor Lucas wanted to make a big deal out of it. "I didn't even notice it," Washington said when asked about it at a media gathering. "Oh," Lucas said before a practice. "I think our fans do a really good job of supporting everyone." So, in the eyes of the coach and the team's most popular player, Lucas is just another part of the cast that brought Penn State into the NCAA tournament for the second consecu- tive year. Wait a minute. Lucas is the team's leading scorer, its best field goal shooter, its most accu- rate free throw shooter and, without a doubt, its clutch player from 3-point range. Were they not looking when she pro- vided 28 points in the key victory at Purdue? Were their eyes closed when she prevented a two-game season