Box score
The Lady Lions have three home games left! Click here for tickets
The NCAA Tournament is coming to the Bryce Jordan Center. Click here for more information
| Penn State struggled through a tough shooting night and could not get past Indiana on Thursday. The Lady Lions return home on Sunday to face Illinois at 1 p.m. |
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. February 9, 2006 ?? Penn State struggled through a poor shooting night Thursday at Indiana and fell to the Hoosiers, 58-43, at Assembly Hall.
Indiana defeated Penn State twice in the same season for the first time in the history of the two programs. Penn State still leads the all-time series, 23-5, but falls to 10-13, 4-8 on the year. Indiana, meanwhile, improves to 13-10, 7-5.
Amanda Brown (Kennett Square, Pa..) led the Lady Lions with 11 points, while Adrienne Squire (Indianapolis, Ind.) added nine. Cyndi Valentin led Indiana with 22.
The Lady Lions shot just 34 percent from the field, which was still better than Indiana??s 33 percent. The difference came at the free throw line where Indiana went 20 for 27 compared to Penn State??s six for eight effort. Fouls also hurt Penn State; with a little over 10 minutes to play, both starting posts Brown and Charity Renfro (Las Vegas, Nev.) had four fouls, forcing head coach Rene Portland to go deep into her bench.
The game started slow from the beginning, and both teams struggled to find the basket in the first half. After 10 minutes the teams had combined for just 15 points with Penn State up, 8-7. The scoring pace picked up after that, beginning with a Jenny DeMuth 3-pointer for Indiana. Penn State responded with a Mashea Williams free throw, and after Indiana hit another jumper, Adrienne Squire (Indianapolis, Ind.) hit her 38th 3-pointer of the year to even the score at 12 points apiece with six minutes to play. Indiana closed out the half on a 10-4 run fueled by six points from Brigett Branson to go into the break up, 22-16. Despite their six-point edge, the Hoosiers still finished the first 20 minutes with nine turnovers and 29 percent shooting. The Lady Lions turned the ball over eight times and shot just 22 percent from the field.
In the second half Indiana held Penn State to just two points through the first six-plus minutes while DeMuth and Valentin combined for 13 points to push Indiana??s lead to 35-16. Williams ended the drought with a running jumper at the 13:07 mark. Williams scored again and Gissendanner added two baskets of her own to cut the lead to 13 with just under 11 minutes to go. Penn State got the lead down to 12 with four minutes to play, and to 10 with 1:49 to play, but Indiana hit two free throws, and converted a steal into a breakaway layup to seal the win.
The Lady Lions have three home games left, beginning this Sunday vs. Illinois. The Lady Lions host the Illini at 1 p.m.; Comcast Sports Net Chicago will air that game live. Penn State heads to Wisconsin next Thursday and closes out the season at the Bryce Jordan Center on Thursday, Feb. 23 vs. Northwestern at 7 p.m. and then on Sunday Feb. 26 vs. Ohio State at 2 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.