Dec. 2, 2007
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Junior point guard Brianne O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.) found a wide-open Janessa Wolff (Park Rapids, Minn.) under the basket for an easy lay-up with 0.5 seconds remaining to lift the Lady Lions (6-2) to an 86-84 upset victory over #11/10 Duke (5-3) in front of 6,617 fans at the Bryce Jordan Center Sunday. It was Penn State's first victory over a Top 10 team since the 81-68 win versus Minnesota at the BJC on January 30, 2005 and also snapped a 76-game winning streak for Duke against unranked opponents.
O'Rourke finished a with a game- and career-high 23 points, including a 15-for-15 effort from the free throw line, to go along with eight assists and two steals. Her 100% mark from the charity stripe and 15 free throws made both tie the Penn State records set by Jess Strom vs. Minnesota on Jan. 30, 2005.
Junior guard Mashea Williams (Erie, Pa.) also established a career-high with 22 points, which included an 8-for-8 effort from the free throw line. Senior guard Kam Gissendanner (Clairton, Pa.) reached double figures for the Lady Lions with 13 tallies, while Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio) added 10 tallies and four rebounds.
Duke started by scoring the game's first five points before O'Rourke hit a lay-up to put the Lady Lions on the board two minutes into the game. Penn State cut it to a one-point deficit on a Wolff lay-up, which started a 7-0 run for the Blue & White to take an 11-7 lead with 15:32 left in the half. Following an Abby Waner three-pointer that made it an 11-10 game, the Lady Lions went on an 11-2 run over the next three minutes to take a 22-12 lead with 11:38 on the clock. Grant accounted for four points during the run and Meggan Quinn (Red Lion, Pa.) knocked down the first three-pointer of her collegiate career.
The teams exchanged baskets until Gissendanner knocked down her second three-pointer of the half with just over nine minutes on the clock. Free throws by Grant and Williams extend the lead to 15 points (33-18) with 6:44 remaining. However, Duke would score the next seven points to slice the lead to eight points at 33-25. After an exchange of baskets, the Blue Devils moved within six points on a three-pointer by Abby Waner with 1:03 on the clock, but Penn State responded with a triple by Gissendanner and a jumper by Williams with five seconds left in the period. Williams' jumper sent the Lady Lions into the locker room with an 11-point lead at 41-30.
Abby Waner opened the second frame with a steal and basket, followed by a basket by Chante Black to cut the lead to seven points at 41-34 just one minute into the half. The Lady Lions would extend the lead back to 12 points with a three-point play by O'Rourke and a lay-up by Rashida Mark (Brooklyn, N.Y.). However, back-to-back three-pointers by Jasmine Thomas and Abby Waner made it 46-40 game with just under 16 minutes remaining in the game.
The Lady Lions would assume a seven-point lead at 58-51 on a lay-up by Williams at the 12:28 mark, but the Blue Devils would reel off six consecutive points to move within one point at 58-57 with 11 minutes left before Williams connected on a circus shot in the lane to push the lead back to three tallies (60-57). The lead was short-lived as Abby Waner knocked down her fifth three-pointer of the game to knot it at 60-60 with 9:22 to go.
Following a jumper in the lane by Williams, the Blue Devils took their first lead since the 16:35 mark of the first period on a three-pointer from the corner by Thomas. Williams put PSU back on top with a pair of free throws and Gissendanner extended the lead to three points (66-63) with a jumper in the lane as the shot clock ran down. A lay-up and free throw by Black tied the score at 66-66 with just under six minutes left to play.
O'Rourke started an exchange of points with two free throws and the teams continued to swap baskets until Thomas connected on a three-pointer to give Duke a 71-70 lead with 4:20 remaining. A Grant jumper and four O'Rourke free throws established a 6-0 run for the Lady Lions to give Penn State an 80-75 lead with 1:41 on the clock.
Thomas' lay-up brought the lead back to three points, before Williams made two freebies to make it 82-77 with 36 seconds left in the game. The Blue Devils did not give up as Abby Waner drained a contested three-pointer with 22 seconds to make it an 82-80 game, but O'Rourke added two more free throws to extend the lead to four points. Karima Christmas converted on a lay-up off of an Abby Waner pass to bring Duke within two points with 13 seconds left. Grant threw the ensuing in-bounds pass into the arms of Black, who found Christmas for a lay-up and the foul by Grant. Christmas missed the free throw and the Lady Lions gained possession on the rebounds out of bounds, which led to the O'Rourke pass to Wolff for the game-winner.
The Lady Lions visit Syracuse on Thursday,?Dec. 6 at 7 p.m., before returning to the Jordan Center for a two-game homestand against Georgetown on Sunday, Dec. 9 at 3 p.m. and Mississippi on Thursday,?Dec. 13 at 8 p.m. The Hoyas game marks the return of former Lady?Lions Terri Williams-Flournoy, who is currently the Georgetown head coach.
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.
GAME NOTES: Sunday is Penn State's first-ever victory against Duke (1-5)...This is PSU's first victory against Top 10 opponents since 1/30/2005 vs. Minnesota...Junior guard Brianne O'Rourke had a career-high with 23 points...O'Rourke equaled the Penn State record for free throws made in a game (15) and free throw percentage in a game (100%). Both marks were set by Jess Strom versus Minnesota on Jan. 30, 2005...Junior Mashea Williams had career highs with 22 points and was 8-for-8 from the free throw line...Sophomore Megan Quinn had her career high with seven points, including her first career three-pointer...Senior guard Kam Gissendanner tied her career high with three three-pointers in the game.