| Courtney Molinaro came off the bench to spark Penn State to a 91-48 win over Northwestern Sunday in Evanston. The win was Penn State's first conference road victory of the year, while the game was head coach Rene Portland's 800th contest on the Penn State sideline. Molinaro tallied her first career double-double in the win. |
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EVANSTON, Ill., January 21, 2006 - Coaching icon Rene Portland added another line to her remarkable resume with a 91-48 win in her 800th game as the Penn State head coach on Sunday at Northwestern. The important win was the team's first conference road victory of the season, and moved Portland's impressive Penn State record to 586-214.
Five players reached double-digit scoring figures for Penn State, led by Kamela Gissendanner (Clairton, Pa.), whose 21-point output led all scorers. Adrienne Squire (Indianapolis, Ind.) added 17, and freshmen Brianne O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Courtney Molinaro (Bethlehem, Pa.) and Mashea Williams (Erie, Pa.) chipped in 15, 12 and 11 respectively. Molinaro tallied her first career double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds while Williams dished out a game-high eight assists. Nadia Bibbs led Northwestern with 10 points and was the only player to reach double digits for the Wildcats.
Molinaro played inspired basketball for the Lady Lions, providing a much-needed spark off the bench. The 6-0 freshman post entered the game after just 25 seconds of action to replace Amanda Brown (Kennett Square, Pa.), who had picked up her first foul early. Molinaro went right to work, pulling down three quick offensive rebounds and putting each back for a score. Molinaro stayed strong on the boards, and with eight minutes to play in the first half, she had more rebounds (eight) than the entire Northwestern lineup (seven). She finished the break just one board shy of a double-double with nine rebounds and 10 points.
Penn State ran out to a 39-17 lead at halftime behind the efforts of Molinaro and Gissendanner. The score was an almost exact reverse of last year's halftime tally, when Northwestern took a surprising 37-18 lead at the break. Penn State and Northwestern traded buckets early, but with the game tied at 10 points apiece at the 16:34 mark, Penn State went on a commanding 18-1 run over the next four minutes to go up, 28-11. Northwestern ended the skid with two free throws at the 10:24 mark, but Penn State kept on the pressure, building a 24-point lead with 2:42 to play in the first half. The Lady Lions gave up just four field goals in the first half, and held Northwestern to its lowest halftime total of the year.
Penn State did not let up in the second frame. O'Rourke hit two 3-pointers in the first two and a half minutes to start the half right. While the first 20 minutes was the Molinaro and Gissendanner show, in the second half Squire came alive, scoring 15 of her 17 points in the game after the break. Although Squire led the charge, everyone got involved and all 10 Lady Lions reached the scoring column.
The game was a season-best contest for Penn State in many ways. Penn State's points total of 91 was a new season high, as was the team's rebounding (55), field goals made (37) and field goals attempted (75) totals. The Lady Lions also put forth a season-best defensive effort, holding Northwestern to 48 points, 34 rebounds and 11 field goals, the latter a Penn State opponent low this year.
During her 25-plus years heading up the Lady Lions' bench, Portland has built a remarkable resume. She has led Penn State to five Big Ten Championships (seven conference titles overall) and two Big Ten Tournament titles (eight conference tourney titles overall). She has accumulated a 586-214 record at Penn State, won two WBCA National Coach of the Year Awards and guided her team to the 2000 Final Four. Since joining the Big Ten, the Lady Lions have been a dominant 163-55, including 63-17 over the last five years entering this season. During her tenure she has coached four Kodak All-Americans, including three-time honoree and all-time Big Ten leading scorer Kelly Mazzante, who also finished her career as the NCAA's ninth all-time scorer and third all-time best 3-point shooter. Portland has built her team into a cornerstone of the Penn State community as well. The Lady Lions regularly rank among the nation's best teams in attendance, and currently rank 13th in the country in that category. Portland has not limited her influence to just basketball, and was recently honored as the Penn State Renaissance Fund Person of the Year, a prestigious award given to a person who has positively impacted the University and community. Along with her husband, John, Portland has endowed two Penn State scholarships for student-athlete, and was named a Penn State honorary alumni in 2004.
Sunday's game was the third in a three-game road stretch for Penn State. The Lady Lions return home on Thursday, Jan. 26 to face Iowa at 7 p.m.
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.
Fans interested in buying all-session tickets for the NCAA First and Second Round Games at the Bryce Jordan Center on March 18 and 21 should contact the Penn State ticket office at 1-800-863-3336 or 814-865-5555. All-session tickets will gain the bearer entry to all three sessions. Adult all-session tickets for the six-game, two-day event are available for $42. Penn State students, youth under 18 and senior citizens (60 or above) can purchase tickets for only $18. Fans may also purchase tickets by downloading a ticket brochure and returning the adjoining application to the Penn State ticket office at the address provided. The brochure, and additional information on the NCAA Tournament Games at the Bryce Jordan Center are available online at http://www.gopsusports.com/BasketballW/NCAATourney/
Big Ten Tournament tickets are on sale now as well. To get tickets now, Penn State fans can go through the Penn State box office. Fans can also buy all-session tickets through Ticketmaster for $55 at all Ticketmaster outlets, including the Conseco Fieldhouse box office, Ticketmaster charge-by-phone numbers (570) 693-4100 in central Pennsylvania) or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.
For group ticket information and a group order form, contact Justin Hirnisey of Indiana Sports Corporation at (317) 237-5026 or justin.hirnisey@indianasportscorp.com.