| Kam Gissendanner and the Lady Lions shot a season-high 55 percent from the field en route to a 72-61 win over Iowa on Thursday. Penn State is at Minnesota on Sunday, but returns home next Thursday for a 7 p.m. matchup with Michigan. The game is a white-out, and all fans should wear white to show their Penn State pride. |
Box Score
Penn State overall statistics
Penn State conference statistics
Postgame Quotes
Postgame Notes
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. January 26, 2006 - Amanda Brown (Kennett Square, Pa.) and Kam Gissendanner (Clairton, Pa.) each scored 24 points vs. Iowa on Thursday, and Penn State pulled out a convincing 72-61 win in front of 5,599 at the Bryce Jordan Center.
"We're thrilled," said head coach Rene Portland following the game. "We won two games in row, and we did a good job playing defense and running. We played hard and put a lot of pressure on them."
Penn State moved one game closer to the .500 mark with the win, and will bring a record of 9-10, 3-5 into Sunday's game at Minnesota. The victory improved the Lady Lions' all-time mark vs. the Hawkeyes to 18-11 and 10-3 at home. Penn State has now won the last five in a row vs. the Hawkeyes. Iowa, who was led by Crystal Smith's 16 points, falls to 12-8, 5-4 on the year.
Brown tallied her third double-double of the season with 11 boards, as Penn State continued to dominate on the glass. The Lady Lions out-rebounded Iowa, 33-25, and have been nearly unstoppable on the boards over the last five games. During that time Penn State has out-rebounded its opponents by an average of 10.8 rpg.
"I thought (Brown) played very will inside and around the basket," said Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder. "Her teammates did a great job of finding her and getting her the ball. Amanda Brown is an outstanding player and we just didn't have an answer for her."
The Lady Lions' offense clicked from the beginning of the game and the team finished with 20 assists, its second straight game with 20 or more assists. Gissendanner led the way with a career-high six, several of them going to Brown.
"I think we've noticed all season that we work well together," said Brown of her and Gissendanner. "We always look for each other in games and in practice and it all came together pretty well tonight."
Brown chipped in with four assists and freshman
Brianne O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.), the Big Ten's leading assist leader, tallied three. Penn State shot a season-high 55 percent from the field, largely behind the accurate shooting of Gissendanner and Brown, who shot 11 for 18 and 11 for 16, respectively.
Iowa hit two 3-pointers in the first six minutes of the second half, but Brown scored eight points during that time to help protect the 11-point margin Penn State had built in the game's first 20 minutes. Brown, who scored 10 points in the first half, equaled that total at the 11:33 mark in the second half after taking a long pass from Mashea Williams (Erie, Pa.), and making the tough catch and basket. The layup pushed the lead to 56-43 and forced Iowa to call a timeout to stop the momentum.
The Hawkeyes could not stop Penn State, however, and Penn State built its lead to as high as 17 with just under five to play. Iowa didn't quit, though, and scored 10 quick points to trim the lead to seven with 1:03 on the clock. Penn State made four free throws in that last minute to hold on for the win.
After the game Portland said she was proud of how her team hung on down the stretch, especially defensively, holding Crystal Smith, one of the Conference's top scorers to 16 points.
"I thought Brianne and Mashea both did a good job defending her, " Portland said. "Really, anybody who guarded her really stayed on top of her. And when she got around us, the post players found her inside. She's a big part of their offense, and rightfully so she's a great player. But we did a good knowing where she was at all times.
The teams broke out evenly to start the game and battled to a 14-14 tie early. The Lady Lions then went on an 8-0 run to make it 22-14 with 6:33 to play in the game, forcing Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder to use a 30-second timeout to regroup. The spurt was a team effort, with four different players scoring the four different baskets.
Iowa ended its four minute-plus drought with a Lindsay Nyenhuis 3-pointer to make it 22-17 with six minutes left to play, but Penn State closed out the half on a 15-9 run to go into the break up, 37-26. Brown scored eight points in the last two and a half minutes to spark the team and beef up its shooting percentage, which stood at an impressive 55 percent after the first 20 minutes. The Lady Lions also pulled down 22 rebounds before the break, compared to just 12 by the Hawkeyes. Defensively Penn State held Iowa to just 37 percent shooting from the field and just 26 points - it's third-lowest total this year.
The Lady Lions return to the road on Sunday for a 6 p.m. ET game at No. 14/12 Minnesota. The Lady Lions are back home next week for a 7 p.m. game vs. Michigan on Thursday and a 2 p.m. game vs. Purdue next Sunday.
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.