- Box Score
- Paradise Jam Photos
| Junior guard Adrienne Squire had a team-high 12 points, including a trio of three-pointers, in the Lady Lions' 57-44 loss to #18 Rutgers in the first round of the Paradise Jam Friday night. Penn State will face Western Kentucky in the consolation game at 7 p.m. (AST) Saturday. |
ST. THOMAS, V.I.; November 24, 2006 ?? For the second-straight game, the Lady Lions were plagued by turnovers and a struggling offense as Penn State dropped a 57-44 decision to #18/18 Rutgers in the first round of the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands Friday night. Despite the final margin, Penn State only trailed by four points with less than six minutes remaining in the contest.
The Lady Lions will play Western Kentucky in the Paradise Jam consolation game on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. (AST). PSU is 1-1 all-time against the Lady Toppers, but has not played WKU since the 1985 season (a 74-63 PSU win). The game will be broadcast on the Penn State Sports Network, including on WBUS and WMAJ in the State College area, with Jerry Fisher and Chris Morelli calling the action.
Penn State struggled to find its offensive rhythm in the first half, falling behind 13-3 in the first 9:32 of the game. However, the Lady Lions would fight back, cutting the Rutgers lead to 14-8 at the 10-minute mark after a three-pointer by Adrienne Squire (Indianapolis, Ind.) and a pair of free throws by Amanda Brown (Kennett Square, Pa.). Squire continued to have the hot hand from three-point range, knocking down two treys in PSU??s 8-0 run that saw the RU lead shrink to a mere three points (19-16).
With several strong defensive stands, the Lady Lions found themselves trailing 22-21 heading into the locker room at halftime thanks to Brianne O??Rourke??s (Pittsburgh, Pa.) second three-pointer of the game and free throws by Kam Gissendanner (Clairton, Pa.) and Squire. Penn State did not score a two-point basket in the first half with the 22 points coming off of five three-pointers and six free throws.
The Lady Lions had a chance to take the lead in the opening moments of the second period, but Gissendanner could only convert on one of her two free throws. Penn State scored its first two-point basket at the 14:11 mark in the second period thanks to a rebound and lay-up by Squire, which was the only field goal for the Lady Lions in the first 12 minutes of the second half. The game remained close as Rutgers led by as many as seven in the early going, but PSU rebounded to cut the lead to two points at the 10:53 mark. A free throw by Essence Carson, a three-pointer by Brittany Ray and a pair of lay-ups by Epiphanny Prince and Myia McCurdy led to a 12-point lead for the Scarlet Knights that they would never relinquish.
Squire was the lone Lady Lion in double figures with 12 points, while O??Rourke accounted for eight points and three rebounds before fouling out of the contest. Brown and Charity Renfro (Las Vegas, Nev.) tied for the team rebounding lead with nine boards apiece.
Following the Paradise Jam, the Lady Lions will travel to St. Francis (Pa.) for a 7 p.m. tip-off on Tuesday, before heading to Pittsburgh on Dec. 1. PSU returns home to play Old Dominion on Sunday, Dec. 3 at 2 p.m., where the Lady Lions will honor their 1,000,000th fan in the Bryce Jordan Center.
Single-game tickets and ??Sunday FunDay?? mini-plan packages for the Lady Lions may be purchased by visiting the ticket section of GoPSUsports.com or by calling the ticket office at 814-865-5555. Women's single game tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for students and youth (under 18). Mini ticket plans are also available.