Oct. 31, 2007
Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery | Lady Lion Press Conference Podcast
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - After shaking off some early preseason rust, the Lady Lions led wire-to-wire on the way to an 82-41 victory over Millersville (Pa.) in an exhibition game Wednesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State shot 69% from the field in the second half thanks to a 20-of-29 performance and all nine players scored in the game for the Lady Lions.
The Lady Lions dominated the points in the paint, 44-14, and had a 15-0 advantage in fast break points. Leading the way for the offense was sophomore guard Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio) with 22 points to go along with five assists and three steals. Senior guard Kam Gissendanner (Clairton, Pa.) added 18 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
Additionally, sophomore forward Meredith Monroe (Olney, Md.) came off the bench to nearly post a double-double with eight points and a game-best 10 rebounds, while junior point guard Brianne O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.) turned in a solid all-around performance with 15 points, five rebounds, six assists and five steals.
The Lady Lions used pressure defense and up-tempo offense to build a lead as large as 14 points with 3:52 left in the first half before heading into the locker room with a 28-18 advantage. Penn State forced 12 first half turnovers and held the Marauders to just 28% shooting from the field. Grant was the highlight offensively with 10 points, including a perfect 6-for-6 mark from the charity stripe, and three assists. O'Rourke added six tallies and a pair of steals in the opening frame, while Gissendanner also had a solid first half with five points, five rebounds and two blocked shots.
Penn State got off to a quick start in the second half with a bucket by Rashida Mark (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and a fast break layup by Grant to extend the lead back to 14 points. After a three-pointer by Jenna Philo, the Lady Lions went on a 14-0 run to extend the lead to 46-21 with 13:58 remaining. During the run, Gissendanner accounted for six points, while Grant and O'Rourke added three tallies each. Freshman walk-on Nicole Arcidiacono (Langhorne, Pa.), who finished with four points, capped the run with a jumper just outside of the lane.
The Lady Lions kept the pressure going with a Monroe rebound and put-back layup to move the lead to 29 points at 53-24 with 12:45 on the clock. Penn State continued to put the pressure on and built the lead to 38 tallies (75-38) on a Gissendanner layup with 4:25 remaining. PSU held the lead the rest of the way as the team exchanged baskets until the final margin on an Arcidiacono jumper.
The Lady Lions open the 2007-08 regular-season by hosting 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).
Washington and the 2007-08 Lady Lions will host a meet-n-greet at Center Stage in the Nittany Mall on Sunday, November 4 from 1-2 p.m. The Bryce Jordan Center will also be conducting national anthem singer tryouts for the WBCA Classic (Nov. 9-11) from 2-4 p.m., at Center Stage.
This season, Penn State introduces a new seven-game Lady Lion Flex Plan package where fans will receive a ticket to the Duke (Sun., Dec. 2) and Georgetown (Sun., Dec. 9) games and the second annual THINK PINK Day versus Iowa (Sun., Feb. 10), as well as four flex vouchers to redeem in any ticket combination for Big Ten games. Fans can purchase single-game tickets or flex plan packages 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.