- Box Score
| Junior guard Kam Gissendanner scored six of her 12 points in the final two minutes of the game to lift the Lady Lions to a 52-44 win at Georgetown Sunday. The Lady Lions will break for exams and the holiday season before opening Big Ten play at Illinois Dec. 28. |
WASHINGTON, D.C.; December 17, 2006 ?? Junior guard Kam Gissendanner (Clairton, Pa.) scored six points in the final two minutes of the game, including two jumpers as the shot clock expired, to lead the Lady Lions to a 52-44 victory over Georgetown Sunday. It was the first road win for Penn State since the season-opening victory over Drexel Nov. 10.
Gissendanner finished with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 17 minutes off the bench, while fellow junior guard Adrienne Squire (Indianapolis, Ind.) accounted for team-highs of 13 points and seven rebounds. She was also a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
The Lady Lions extended the lead to 30-21 as Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio) scored six of Penn State??s first eight points in the opening four minutes after the break, but Georgetown sliced the Lady Lion lead to five (30-25) with a pair of free throws by Kieraah Marlow and a basket by Katrina Wheeler. PSU took control of the game again and made it a 10-point differential (35-25) with a 5-0 run, headlined by lay-ups by Amanda Brown (Kennett Square, Pa.) and Brianne O??Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.). However, the lead was short-lived as the Hoyas reeled off an 11-0 run capped by a Shanice Fuller jumper that rolled around the rim and in to tie the game at 40-40. After O??Rourke missed the back-end of a two-shot foul, Marlow made two free throws to give Georgetown its first lead since the first half at 42-41. Brown connected on both of her free throws to hand the lead back to the Lady Lions (43-41) before Gissendanner notched a personal 6-0 run to seal the Penn State win.
Both teams?? offense struggled to get going in the first half as Penn State led 8-7 after the first nine minutes of play, but a basket by Wheeler and two buckets by Marlow gave the Hoyas a 14-10 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the opening frame. However, the Lady Lions stepped up the defensive pressure and went on a 10-1 run in the final 4:30 to head into the locker room with a 22-19 lead. PSU held the Hoyas to just one Marlow free throw over the eight minutes of the first half. Squire was the offensive force for the Lady Lions in the opening period as she connected on a trio of three-pointers and two free throws for 11 points.
O??Rourke had a solid all-around game for Penn State with six points, five rebounds, five steals and three assists. Brown, who was a key for the Lady Lions down the stretch, accumulated seven points, six rebounds and two blocks in the win.
Marlow (16 pts., 10 rebs.) and Wheeler(10 pts., 16 rebs.) both notched double-doubles to lead the Hoyas.
The Lady Lions will break for exams and the holiday season before returning to the hardwood to open the Big Ten slate at Illinois (Dec. 28) and Purdue (Dec. 31) before coming home to face Northwestern on Jan. 4 in their Big Ten home opener.
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.