Jan. 1, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The Lady Lions (9-4, 0-1) hope to rebound after a loss at Iowa to the open the Big Ten when they host Illinois at the Bryce Jordan Center for the Big Ten home opener on Wednesday, January 2 at 7 p.m. Fans that bring a coat to the BJC for "Operation Warm" will receive a $5 adult ticket or a free youth ticket to the game.
Penn State is 11-4 all-time in Big Ten home openers since joining the conference for the 1992-93 campaign. Last season, the Lady Lions downed Northwestern, 85-53, in their first Big?Ten game at the Jordan Center.
The game will can be seen live on WPSU-TV with Kellie Goodman and Margo Plotzke calling the action. The game can also be heard on WRSC in State College with Jerry Fisher (play-by-play) and Chris Morelli (analyst) describing play. The audio and video feeds and a link to GameTracker are available at www.GoPSUSports.com.
The Lady Lions are 20-11 overall against the Illini, including a 15-8 mark in Big Ten games. Illinois posted a 74-65 overtime win in Champaign during the regular-season, but Penn State got its revenge in the Big Ten Tournament with a 61-49 victory. The Lady Lions are 11-2 all-time against Illinois in Happy Valley.
These teams last met in the quarterfinals of the 2007 Big Ten Tournament when Amanda Brown set the Big Ten Tournament single-game record for rebounds in a game with 18 caroms in a 61-49 win for the Lady Lions. Brown paced four Lady Lions in the double figures with 19 points, while Kam Gissendanner (Clairton, Pa.) and?Brianne O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added 13 points apiece.
Gissendanner has always been solid against the Illini, averaging 14.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in four career games, while O'Rourke has also found success against Illinois as she averages 7.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in four career games.
Penn State is the only school to have four players ranked in the Top 15 in the Big Ten in scoring, led by Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio) at a 14.6 per game clip, which is seventh in the Big Ten. O'Rourke is second on the squad and 12th in the conference in scoring with a 12.5 average, while Gissendanner (12.4) and Mashea Williams (Erie, Pa.) (12.2) rank 13th and 14th, respectively to round out the double-digit scorers for Penn State. O'Rourke is handing out 4.3 assists per game, which is second in the Big Ten.
The Illini picked up a wins over Northwestern and Wisconsin to open the Big Ten season and stand at 10-3 on the season. Sophomore Jenna Smith leads the Big Ten in scoring (18.8) and rebounding (9.9). Danyel Crutcher is second on the squad in scoring with a 10.2 per game mark.
The Lady Lions travel to Michigan State on Saturday, Jan. 5 for a nationally televised game on CBS at noon before returning to the Jordan Center to face Northwestern on Thursday 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.