Jan. 16, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The Lady Lions (12-5, 3-2) return to the friendly confines of the Bryce Jordan Center to take on Purdue (7-9, 3-2) in a key Big Ten match-up on Thursday at 8 p.m., on the Big Ten Network. The two squads are currently in a logjam for third place in the Big Ten standings along with Indiana, Illinois and Michigan.
Thursday night is Dollar Dog night at the Bryce Jordan Center where fans can get a hot dog at any concession stand for just $1. Fans will also receive a Lady Lion Basketball Koozie sponsored by Weis Markets while supplies last. At halftime, fans will be treated to the Red Panda Acrobat and following the game, the Lady Lions will hold the second of their four THINK PINK Ball Launches. Balls can be purchased at Portal 15 or the THINK PINK Day information table on the concourse for $2 each or 3 for $5.
The game can be seen on the Big Ten Network with Kellie Goodman and Theresa Grentz calling the action. The contest can also be heard on the Penn State Sports Radio Network with Jerry Fisher (play-by-play) and Chris Morelli (analyst) describing play. Locally the game will air on the radio on WMAJ. The audio feed and a link to GameTracker are available at www.GoPSUSports.com.
The Lady Lions trail the all-time series by a 14-18 margin, but have a 13-12 advantage in Big Ten games. The Boilermakers won the only meeting between the squads last season, 70-44, in West Lafayette on New Year's Eve. Purdue has won each of the last four contests in the series with the last Lady Lion win coming on Jan. 20, 2005 at the BJC (77-54). Penn State is 9-4 all-time against the Boilers in Happy Valley.
In the last meeting between the two squads, Amanda Brown was the lone Lady Lion in double figures with 20 points in a 70-44 loss at Purdue. Brown, who scored her 1,000th career point in that game, also grabbed 12 rebounds in the loss.
Senior Kam Gissendanner (Clairton, Pa.) is the lone Lady Lion averaging double figures against the Boilermakers for her career. She has accounted for 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists in three career games against Purdue.
Gissendanner will be honored before the game for becoming the 30th player in Lady Lion history to reach the 1,000 points. She reached the milestone in Penn State's last home game against Northwestern on Jan. 10. Gissendanner is fourth on the team in scoring with an 11.5 per game average, but leads the squad in rebounding at a 6.9 per game rate.
Sophomore Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio) continues to lead the team in scoring at a 14.8 per game clip. She was the team's top scorer in both games for the Lady Lions last week with 20 tallies against Northwestern and 16 points versus Minnesota, which brought her over 700 points for her career.
Junior point guard Brianne O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.) dished out 10 assists in the win over Northwestern and added five helpers versus the Golden Gophers to move into first place in the Big Ten in assists with a 4.6 per game average, while Janessa Wolff (Park Rapids, Minn.) averaged 7.0 points and 6.5 rebounds two games last week.
The Boilermakers are 7-9 overall and 3-2 in Big Ten play. With several off-season injuries by key players, Purdue has looked to Lakisha Freeman and Danielle Campbell to step up and fill the void left by Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton and Jodi Howell. Freeman leads the team in scoring at a 12.6 per game clip, while Campbell is second on the squad in scoring (12.3) and first in rebounding (8.1).
The Lady Lions are back in the Jordan Center against Michigan on Sunday, Jan. 20 for THON Hoops day at the Lady Lion game. It is also a 4 for $40 day where fans can get four tickets, four hot dogs and four drinks for $40. There will also be a postgame autograph session with the Lady Lions on the concourse. Penn State is back on the road at Wisconsin on Thursday, Jan. 24 and at nationally-ranked Ohio State on Monday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
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.