Sept. 4, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Former Lady Lion standout Kelly Mazzante and the Phoenix Mercury will have a shot at their first-ever WNBA Championship as they take on the Detroit Shock in the 2007 WNBA Finals. The best-of-five series begins in the Motor City on Wednesday, September 5 at 7:30 p.m., on ESPN2.
The Mercury, who owned the best record in the Western Conference (23-11), are making their second appearance in the WNBA Finals, while Detroit (24-10) is the defending WNBA Champions. The Shock won both regular-season meetings against the Mercury.
Mazzante, who is making her first career WNBA Finals appearance, is in her first season as a member of the Mercury and her fourth season in the WNBA overall. She averaged 5.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game during the regular season, but has increased her scoring output to 6.3 points per game during the playoffs.
Mazzante faced a familiar foe in each of the first two rounds of the WNBA Playoffs, meeting former Penn State teammate Tanisha Wright and the Seattle Storm in the opening round before facing Lady Lion All-American Helen Darling and the San Antonio Silver Stars in the Conference Finals. Mazzante and Darling were also teammates with the Charlotte Sting in 2005 and 2006.
Wright had a career season with the Storm, averaging 4.1 points, 2.0 assists, 1.3 rebounds and nearly one steal per game. Darling, in her seventh WNBA season, started 19 games for the Silver Stars and contributed 4.1 points, 3.1 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game.
The Lady Lions open the 2007-08 season as they host the WBCA/Basketball Travelers Classic at the Bryce Jordan Center November 9-11. Penn State will face Arizona on Nov. 9, before meeting Charlotte (Nov. 10) and in-state rival Pittsburgh (Nov. 11).
2007 WNBA Finals Schedule
Game 1: at Detroit, Wednesday, Sept. 5, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 2: at Detroit, Saturday, Sept. 8, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 3: at Phoenix, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 4*: at Phoenix, Thursday, Sept. 13, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 5*: at Detroit, Sunday, Sept. 16, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN2)