Dec. 15, 2007
LEWISBURG, PA. - Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio) scored 14 of her game-high 20 points in the second half to lead the Lady Lions (9-3) to a 64-55 victory over Bucknell (3-6) Saturday night at Sojka Pavilion. Penn State reaches the nine-win plateau in non-conference play for the sixth time since joining the Big Ten in 1992-93 and for the first time since the 2002-03 campaign.
Grant was 10-for-19 from the field on the way to her third 20-point game of the season and the 10th of her career. She also grabbed six rebounds in the win. Mashea Williams (Erie, Pa.) posted her first career double-double with 17 points and a career-best 11 rebounds. She also dished out four assists and had two steals. Brianne O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.) also reached double figures with 12 points and eight assists, while freshman Evelyn Lewis (Hampton, Va.) registered her first career double-digit rebounding effort with 10 caroms.
The teams were tied at 7-7 early in the contest until the Bison went on an 8-2 run to post a six-point lead (15-9) with just under 15 minutes left in the half. Grant paced the Lady Lions in the early going with four of PSU's first nine tallies. The Lady Lions proceeded to go on a 9-2 run to take their first lead of the game at 18-17 at the 10:31 mark on a jumper by Grant. During the run, O'Rourke had five points and Williams added a lay-up.
The Bison got back-to-back baskets to move in front by three, but Gissendanner scored five consecutive points and Williams converted on a fastbreak lay-up, as well as an old-fashioned three-point play to spur the Lady Lions to a 28-21 lead with just over six minutes left in the half. The squads swapped baskets for the remainder of the half on the way to an eight-point Penn State lead at the break (36-28).
O'Rourke had a team-high 10 points to go along with four assists in the opening frame, while Williams added nine points and five rebounds. Penn State registered six blocked shots in the first half, led by Rashida Mark (Brooklyn, N.Y.) with two rejections.
Bucknell opened the second period on an 8-2 run to pull within two points with 17:46 on the clock, but a Grant scoop shot sparked a 14-0 run to lift the Lady Lions to their largest lead of the game at 52-36 with 11 and a half minutes remaining. Grant and Williams combined to score the Lady Lions' first 16 points of the second half.
The Lady Lions defense held the Bison to just one field goal and a free throw over a nine-minute span, but unfortunately, Penn State could not capitalize as the Lady Lions had a six-minute scoring drought of their own until Gissendanner's basket at the 5:47 mark made it a 54-41 game. The teams swapped baskets for the next several possessions until Amanda Brown knocked down a pair of three-pointers to pull the Bison within nine points (64-55) with 20 seconds remaining.
The Lady Lions will take 13 days off for final exams and the holiday season before beginning the 2007-08 Big Ten schedule at Iowa on Dec. 28. Penn State returns to the Jordan Center on Wednesday, Jan. 2 to face Illinois at 7 p.m.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets 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 second annual THINK PINK Day is slated for Sunday, Feb. 10 versus Iowa at noon. For more information on THINK PINK Day, visit Penn State's official THINK PINK website at www.gopsusports.com/thinkpink.
GAME NOTES: The Lady Lions reached the nine-win mark in non-conference play for the sixth time since joining the Big Ten in 1992-93...This is the first time since the 2002-03 season that Penn State has won nine non-conference contests...Mashea Williams grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds for her first career double-double...Tyra Grant notched her 10th career 20-point game...Evelyn Lewis pulled down a career-high 10 boards.