Penn State women’s basketball fell to Cleveland State 62-61 in the season opener Monday night in a game that should have celebrated the start of head coach Tanisha Wright’s era.

Wright knows it’s a long season, however, and reiterated the importance of bouncing back strong and playing with urgency.

“We got to approach every day like it’s our last,” Wright said. “I know it’s very cliché, but [we need to] take advantage of the opportunities presented before us and not take things lightly.

“I don’t think we came out with this sense of urgency, and that’s on me because I have to prepare them to have that sense of urgency from the very moment they step on the court.”

The contest against Cleveland State was close until the very end.

Penn State guard Ava Black hit a dagger three-pointer to cut the lead to one in the final seconds. After the Lady Lions fouled and the Vikings missed both at the line, Devyn Quigley stepped up for a last-second shot that fell short, giving Cleveland State a one-point victory.

Black led Penn State in scoring and was the team’s main offensive force, finishing with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists.

“Ava is just a good playmaker, and that’s how we see her,” Wright said. “That’s what we talk about her role being: she’s a great playmaker. She’s also a great shot maker.”

Penn State hits the road to face off against Big 12 foe Cincinnati on Saturday as part of a three-game non-conference road trip that also features games at Dayton and Arizona State.

Wright and the Lady Lions will try to recoup that sense of urgency on the road stretch. She emphasized that bringing the right level of effort from the start means playing as a unit.

“I look at all of them to be leaders on the court,” Wright said. “We always have to be thinking of how we can do things as a collective. That has to be our identity moving forward, and how we work as a team, both offensively and defensively.”

Shooting efficiency will be a key factor for the Lady Lions heading into the weekend matchup with Cincinnati.

Penn State shot a dismal 31.8% from the field in the Cleveland State game, 22.2% from three, and 68.4% from the free-throw line.

“I think the right people at the right time need to be taking certain shots, and I thought we could have done a better job of generating that,” Wright said.

She isn’t fazed by the shooting performance, though, and expects a bounce-back from her team.

“I think we’ve shown in practices and different things like that that we’re a better shooting team than the outing that we had,” Wright said. “It’s just getting them to calm down, stay composed, and find the right shots for themselves.”

Penn State will look to continue its next-play mentality in Cincinnati, Ohio, at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

“We can’t take anything for granted from the very tip, focusing on the game plan, focusing on our level of compete from the very beginning,” Wright said. “I look forward to them being able to show that they have the ability to move on to the next play and bounce back.”

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