Oct. 3, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The Penn State women's basketball team will have at least nine of its 18 Big Ten conference games on television this season, highlighted by an appearance on CBS at Michigan State on Saturday, Jan. 5 at noon. The Lady Lions will also appear on the Big Ten Network at least eight times during the conference campaign.
Overall, Penn State is currently slated to be on television 14 times, including appearances on CBS and ESPN2. This season marks Penn State's first appearance on CBS since January 8, 2005 when the Lady Lions defeated Wisconsin, 67-58, and its 10th appearance overall. WPSU and CSTV telecasts will be announced at a later date.
"We are very excited about the number of games that we will have on national television this season," head coach Coquese Washington said. "To have the ability to showcase our program on CBS, ESPN2 and the Big Ten Network this season is an awesome opportunity."
The Lady Lions will appear on the Big Ten Network in four home games and four away games. Penn State's home Big Ten Network games include Thursday, Jan. 17 versus Purdue (8 p.m.), the second annual THINK PINK Day versus Iowa on Sunday, Feb. 10 (noon), Thursday, Feb. 14 versus Minnesota (8 p.m.) and Sunday, Feb. 17 versus Michigan State (2 p.m.).
The Lady Lions' away games on the Big Ten Network will be at Minnesota (Sun., Jan. 13; 2 p.m.), Ohio State (Mon., Jan. 28; 7 p.m.), Illinois (Thurs., Feb. 21; 8 p.m.) and Northwestern (Sun., Feb. 24; 4 p.m.). Penn State is also eligible for the Big Ten Network Wildcard game on Sunday, Mar. 2 at Indiana.
Penn State previously announced that the Lady Lions would have five of their non-conference games on television this season, including an appearance on ESPN2. Penn State will participate in the first-ever women's basketball telecast on the Big Ten Network when they face Pittsburgh in the final game of the season-opening WBCA Classic at the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday, Nov. 11 at 4 p.m.
The Lady Lions will make their second national television appearance of the season on Sunday, Dec. 2 when they host perennial contender Duke on ESPN2 at 5 p.m., as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Penn State will be back on the Big Ten Network against Georgetown on Sunday, Dec. 9 at 3 p.m., and on Thursday, Dec. 13 versus Mississippi at 8 p.m. Additionally, Penn State's game at Old Dominion on Thursday, Nov. 29 will air in the Norfolk, Virginia area on WSKY-4.
The Lady Lions return three starters, including two-time All-Big Ten honorable mention selection Kam Gissendanner (Clairton, Pa.), who is closing in on 1,000 points for her career, and 2006 All-Big Ten honorable mention choice Brianne O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.), who is just the 15th player in school history with 200 assists. Sophomore guard Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio) also returns after leading the team in scoring as a rookie and finishing third on the school's single-season freshmen scoring charts.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets or flex plan packages beginning Friday, Oct. 5 by visiting the Bryce Jordan Center box office, calling 814-865-5555 or 800-863-3336 or by clicking on the ticket link on www.GoPSUsports.com.
The Big Ten Network will air more than 600 hours of Penn State programming during its inaugural year. The vast majority of Penn State's 29 varsity sports, if not all, will be featured on the Big Ten Network in 2007-08, in addition to at least 60 hours of institutional, non-athletic programming. To get the Big Ten Network, fans should call 1-866-WANT-B10 and record a message or be patched through to their cable operator. Fans who want to receive the Big Ten Network also can visit http://www.BigTenNetwork.com and enter their zip code, which will then provide a link to the cable or satellite providers in their areas so that they can request the Big Ten Network directly.
For more information regarding the Big Ten Network, visit www.BigTenNetwork.com