| Adrienne Squire hit a career-high 11 points Friday vs. Duke. Penn State will look to Squire for her sharp shooting when the Lady Lions host Villanova Sunday at 2:15 p.m. The first 2,000 fans through the door will receive a free Lady Lion picture frame. |
Penn State game notes
Big Ten notes
Penn State vs. Duke Box Score
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. November 18, 2005 - Lady Lion coach Rene Portland will pass another milestone in her remarkable career when the Penn State women's basketball team takes on Villanova Sunday at 2:15. The contest will be the legendary coach's 900th career game on the sideline as a head coach.
The game will air live on WPSU-TV, CSTV, FSN-Pittsburgh and CN-8. As always the game will also air on the Penn State Sports Radio Network, including WMAJ and WBUS locally. Penn State's official athletics website, www.GoPSUsports.com will have an audio link, along with a link to the GameTracker feature. The first 2,000 fans through the gates on Sunday will receive a free Lady Lion picture frame.
Portland began her head coaching career at Saint Joseph's where she spent two years before another two years at Colorado. She took over the reigns at Penn State in the 1980-81 season and has been in the blue and white ever since. Portland has accumulated a 665-234 career record and a 578-204 mark at Penn State. She is the sixth winningest coach of all-time, a two-time WBCA National Coach of the Year, and a four-time Big Ten Coach of the Year. She has guided the Lady Lions to 21 NCAA Tournaments, five Big Ten titles and two Big Ten Tournament titles. Her achievements on the court are rivaled only by those off it. She is a fixture in the community and was recently honored as the prestigious Penn State Renaissance Fund Person of the Year.
Portland and Penn State (0-1) will be looking to bounce back after Friday's loss to No. 1 Duke. The game was a "first" for five new Penn State players, who all saw action in a Lady Lion uniform for the first time. Penn State was led by Kamela Gissendanner (Clairton, Pa.) in that contest, who scored a game-high 19 points. Amanda Brown (Kennett Square, Pa.) pitched in 13, and Adrienne Squire (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Brianne O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.) both added 11.
Villanova returns three starters from last year's 19-12 team. The squad finished fourth in the Big East, and reached the first round of the WNIT tournament last season. Villanova is led by senior forward Liad Suez. Last year Suez drained four 3-pointers vs. Penn State en route to a 20-point outing. Villanova was picked to finish fifth by the coaches in the preseason Big East poll. The team faces Penn State after defeating Marist on Friday, 64-60. Liad Suez-Karni had 18 points to lead all scorers.
The game will also be a reunion of sorts for Molinaro, one of Penn State's four freshmen. Molinaro played her prep basketball at Allentown Central Catholic High School where she teamed with Villanova junior Jackie Adamshick for two years. The duo won two State Championships while teammates. Molinaro also won a third title her junior year.
Penn State will continue its tough first part of the season when it takes on Duquesne in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. The game is slated to start at 5 p.m. The Penn State Sports Network will carry the game, and WBUS and WMAJ will air it locally in State College. Penn State's official athletics website, www.GoPSUsports.com will carry the audio feed, along with a link to the GameTracker feature.
"Sunday FunDay" packages and single games tickets for the Lady Lions are still available. Tickets can be purchased at the Bryce Jordan Center ticket windows weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fans can also get tickets by calling 800-863-3336 or 865-5555 locally or visit www.GoPSUsports.com, the official website of Penn State Athletics. Tickets are also available by visiting the Downtown Ticket Center, Eisenhower Auditorium, and at the HUB ticket booth at the information desk. For groups of 10 or more, ticket discounts and preferred seating options are available by calling (814)863-6757.