After a 6-1 start to the season, the Lady Lions are currently riding a six-game losing streak into 2026, with many of their struggles stemming from the defensive side of the ball. Penn State is surrendering 80.9 points per game, ranking fourth-worst among Division I programs. The Lady Lions have been even worse in conference matchups, surrendering 94 points per game to opposing Big Ten offenses.

The series of disappointing performances prompted head coach Carolyn Kieger to implement scheme adjustments in the squad’s most recent game against Illinois.

“We obviously switched to zone this past game to alleviate some ball screen coverages and hide some deficiencies on the defensive end. I thought we did a great job of turning Illinois over, but then obviously we had possession miscommunications or personnel breakdowns of finding the shooters and containing the catch-and-shoot threes,” she said during her weekly media availability.

Despite the altered defensive approach, the Lady Lions gave up 92 points to Illinois at home. Kieger said her team is working on all aspects of defense with hopes of improving against Ohio State and Rutgers in their upcoming matchups.

“[We’re] trying a lot of different things in practice. Breakdowns, one-on-one defense, I think a lot of it comes down to one-on-one defense, we call it ‘guarding your yard,'” Kieger said. “Three feet in both directions, and then the want-to, the willingness to step up and guard your area, and then finish the possession with a hit, a hold, and go pursue that ball with a box out. So I can’t necessarily say it’s one thing, I think if I had to bottle it up all into one word, it’d be ‘toughness.'”

After its road matchup with Ohio State on Wednesday, Penn State will return to Rec Hall on Sunday for its White Out against Rutgers, the former team of the blue and whites’ second-leading scorer, Kiyomi McMiller. Kieger said Penn State is solely focused on beating No. 14 Ohio State, which they upset last year with a 62-59 win.

“Obviously, [we] have to take care of the ball. Ohio State is superb at turning people over at 23, almost 24 turnovers a game. So [we] got to weather the press. We know they are going to get up and press us full court on every make,” Kieger said. “They have the No. 1 and No. 2 athletes in steals in the conference. That’s the first thing. Have poise, have composure.”

Another key factor in defeating the Buckeyes will be defending Jaloni Cambridge, who averages 21.2 points per game and is one of the best transition scorers in the country, according to Kieger.

“Defensively, we have got to build a wall around Jaloni, make sure we’re getting back. She’s super talented at running on makes and misses, so [we’re] kind of changing defenses up to give up a little bit of pressure so she doesn’t get a full court of steam every possession,” Kieger said. “We’re going to play some zone again to build walls and contain the gaps of her getting into the paint. Those are the three biggest things.”