Blue White Illustrated

P enn State ended an up-and-down Big Ten season with an up-and- down showing in the conference tour- nament. Thanks to a 38-point scoring binge by junior guard Teniya Page, the 11th- seeded Lady Lions defeated 14th- seeded Illinois, 83-57, in a 8rst-round game Feb. 28 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. But against sixth- seeded Michigan in the quarter8nals the following night, they fell hard, 77- 48. The loss to the Wolverines dropped Penn State to 16-15, a record that re- 9ected the team's mercurial nature throughout the season. The Lady Lions showed 9ashes of potential, most no- tably in a 70-67 victory over No. 25 Rutgers on Jan. 18 at the Bryce Jordan Center. But that momentum proved di;cult to sustain. Aside from a three-game winning streak in mid-January that in- cluded the last-second win over the Scarlet Knights, the Lady Lions weren't able to put together back-to-back vic- tories in Big Ten play and dropped six of their last eight games against a reg- ular-season conference schedule that was back-loaded with road trips. They 8nished with a 6-10 Big Ten record, their third losing conference season in the past four years. Following the loss to Michigan at the Big Ten tournament, coach Coquese Washington cited a need for steadier performances going forward. "The thing that we have to work on is just our consistency," Washington said. "That comes with experience. That comes with being out there and playing. That's the one thing that we've just got to work on – being more consistent, being able to put games to- gether." The Lady Lions had a youthful team this past season, with three freshmen, four sophomores and no seniors on their 12-player roster. They got o: to a strong start, winning their 8rst 8ve nonconference games, and that was without Page, who was still recovering from an o:-season ankle injury. Page returned to action on Nov. 24 against Louisiana Tech, and she soon re-established herself as the team's primary o:ensive threat, leading the Lady Lions in scoring in 18 of the 26 games in which she played. Her impor- tance was never more evident than in the Lady Lions' Big Ten tournament opener vs. Illinois. Page helped Penn State seize control of the game in the second quarter, scoring 13 points dur- ing a 15-0 run that erased Illinois' 24- 20 lead and put the Lady Lions in front for good. Her 38 points were the sec- ond-highest total in the tournament's history, trailing only a 42-point binge by Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell against Rutgers in 2016. But the following night against the Wolverines, Penn State trailed from start to 8nish. Page was the only Lady Lion player to score in doubles, 8nishing with 12 points, and Michigan built a 43-23 re- bounding advantage. –MATT HERB WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Lady Lions fall to Michigan at Big Ten tournament credit. You knew he would like to take that shot and we've seen him take that shot, but he was really selfless to give that ball up for a dunk." Saying he was simply trying to make the best play for his team, Carr rejected the notion that his game had changed during the latter months of Penn State's season. But to friends and teammates, Carr's development has been undeniable, lifting an already impressive scorer and team- mate into a fully formed basketball player. Nazeer Bostick, who won back-to-back state championships with Carr at Philadelphia Roman Catholic before join- ing him at Penn State in 2016, said that his teammate is reaping the benefits of a year-round commitment to the game. "He's way better. He was good last year, but he's way better," Bostick said. "He worked out more. He's in the gym more. He's more confident and we're more con- fident in him. Tony is just a good player. He's the best point guard in the country, in the nation, and we believe in him." ■ PSU returns to postseason with appearance in NIT The Nittany Lions had been hoping for a spot in the NCAA tournament, but those hopes ended when they weren't able to engineer an upset over Purdue in the semifinals of the Big Ten tourna- ment. Instead, they went into the Na- tional Invitation Tournament, where they opened with a first-round game against Temple. The matchup between the fourth-seeded Lions and fifth- seeded Owls took place March 14, with the winner advancing to face either Notre Dame or Hampton. The NIT berth was Penn State's first since 2009, when it won the title. "Obviously, we wanted to play in the NCAA tournament," coach Patrick Chambers said. "That was disap- pointing, but to keep playing and to keep getting these guys better, it's definitely something that we're ex- cited about." ■

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