Takeaways from Maryland-Penn State: Teniya Page, Taylor Mikesell and more

Taylor Mikesell is just ridiculously good

Here’s the thing: Mikesell is so good, that the fact she had a career-high 23 points and led the team in scoring once again feels like an afterthought. She scored the first five points in the game, and every time the Lions went on a run, she would nail a jumper and halt their momentum. She was 8-for-15 from the field, including 5-for-9 from three.  Goodness, it’s ridiculous to think of how good this team can be next year with her and Austin, plus next year’s No. 1 recruiting class.

Brianna Fraser provides a spark off of the bench

For the second game in a row, the Fraser, the only senior on the team, came up big off the bench. She particularly showed great hustle in the third quarter, when Penn State kept edging ahead in the scoreline, and Frese was very excited about the chemistry that Fraser has established with Austin in the post.

Fraser is quiet and unassuming, but it’s really clear that the entire team respects her leadership and feeds off of her when she’s playing hard and playing well. They absolutely love to see her succeed.

“What Bri should know is that she energizes the team,” Charles said. “So it’s great to see her dominate. She did it in practice and she’s starting to do it now in the games, and everyone’s starting to notice how good she really is.”

Frese is challenging the veterans on the team to step up and lead

This team has the talent. But often, it lacks leadership, energy, and focus. That was more than on display in the loss to the Spartans in Lansing last week. But after that game, Frese took the juniors aside and challenged them — especially the group of Charles, Jones, and Blair Watson — to step up and be more vocal leaders on the court. Midway through the third quarter, they did just that.