Tanisha Wright’s first night back in Happy Valley came with a full house, plenty of noise and, ultimately, a one-point loss that fit the early shape of a team still figuring itself out.
Penn State dropped its season-opener to Cleveland State, 62-61, on Monday at the Bryce Jordan Center in the first game of Wright’s tenure. The former Lady Lion, who played at Penn State from 2002-05, walked into an atmosphere that made the homecoming feel real before the ball was even tipped.
Fans in the lower bowl wore “We’re here for Coach T” shirts. One supporter showed up in a white Wright jersey from her playing days.
The scoreboard even caught a fan holding a “Welcome home Tanisha Wright” sign.
Wright noticed. She opened her postgame remarks by thanking the crowd.
“It was great to get that first one under the belt and get it done,” Wright said Monday night. “Obviously, we’ve talked about this on and on about the support that we’re going to need from our fans through the ups, through the downs, and so it was really cool to see so many familiar faces out there in that crowd supporting.”
The game itself was messy, tense and very much in the “new team” stage Wright has been talking about. Penn State shot just 24% in the first half and went 1-for-13 from beyond the arc in those opening two quarters. Even so, the Lady Lions hung around and turned the second half into a grinder, with 10 lead changes and three chances to tie or take the lead in the final 45 seconds.
They never quite got the clean look they wanted down the stretch. Wright used a timeout, then had to call another one 10 seconds later after the initial play broke down. On the ensuing inbounds, guard Enjulina Gonzalez was whistled for a five-second violation.
“We had two looks. Devyn [Quigley] came through the middle, and then Ava Black came off of a screen as well for a shot too,” Wright said.
“I thought the opportunity was there to make that inbounds pass, and [Enjulina] didn’t feel comfortable - she couldn’t find what she was looking for. But we as a team just have to be just more alert in those situations.
And the most important thing in that situation is to get the ball in.”
Ava Black, the Vanderbilt transfer, led Penn State with a double-double, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Cleveland State got 20 points from Macie Taylor.
Wright said after the game that the growing pains are part of the process for a roster that looks almost entirely different from last season’s group. Only one player, Vitoria Santana, was also with Penn State in the 2025-26 season - and she did not play Monday against Cleveland State.
That kind of unfamiliarity showed at times, but Wright framed it as the natural result of a team still learning how to play together.
“Who we are today, won’t be who we are in December,” Wright said. “It’s better to learn your lessons from wins than it is from losses, obviously.
But we’ll grow from this. We’ll be able to get better from this.
“I think the players will see opportunities where we could have just been just a little bit better in certain areas, and so I think it’s just part of it, right? It’s just part of the growing pains and part of the ups and downs of the season.”
Penn State now has a quick turnaround before Saturday’s game against Cincinnati, and Wright said the key is to move on fast. She called Monday’s result disappointing, but also said it should serve as a lesson for a group that will be learning on the fly early in the season.
“Obviously disappointed with the outcome,” Wright said. “Lots, lots, and lots of growth for us, and a lot of work for us to be able to do moving forward. But I’m still confident in this group and what they’re capable of doing.”
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