ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — Penn State was selected as the top Big Ten women’s basketball team with four returning starters, including a preseason co-player of the year.
Senior guard Alex Bentley helped lead the Nittany Lions to a 26-7 overall record and their sixth Big Ten title. She shares top player honors with Ohio State senior guard Tayler Hill, who averaged 20.3 points last season.
Nebraska, picked second by coaches and media, returns four starters. Purdue, the reigning Big Ten tournament champion, was picked third by coaches while Ohio State was third in media rankings.
Penn State is led by the Big Ten’s third-leading scorer Maggie Lucas (19.4 points) and the league’s No. 2 rebounder Nikki Greene (9.1).
Bentley, Hill and Lucas were chosen for the preseason coaches team along with Nebraska’s Jordan Hooper, Iowa’s Morgan Johnson, Minnesota’s Rachel Banham and Purdue’s Courtney Moses.
