Jan. 19, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Coming off of their first home loss in over a year, the Lady Lions (12-6, 3-3) will look to rebound when they take on Michigan (11-5, 4-2) Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center at 2 p.m. The Lady Lions will be signing autographs on the concourse following the game and Sunday is also one of three remaining 4 for $40 dates in which fans will receive four tickets, four hot dogs and four drinks for $40.
Fans will also take home a Lady Lions mini-basketball, sponsored by the Nittany Lion Club, while supplies last. At halftime, the Red Panda Acrobat will perform and following the game, the Lady Lions will hold the third 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 WPSU with Kellie Goodman and Margo Plotzke calling the action. The contest can also be heard on WRSC in State College with Jerry Fisher (play-by-play) and Chris Morelli (analyst) describing play. The audio feed and a link to GameTracker are available at www.GoPSUSports.com.
The Lady Lions lead the all-time series with the Wolverines by a 21-6 margin, including a 19-5 advantage in Big Ten games. Penn State has won nine of the last 10 meetings with Michigan, including a 65-51 victory at the Bryce Jordan Center on Jan. 14, 2007. The Lady Lions are 10-2 all-time against the Blue and Maize at home.
The last time these squads squared off, senior Kam Gissendanner (Clairton, Pa.) was 6-for-12 from the field en route to 21 points to lead Penn State to a 65-51 win over the Wolverines on Jan. 14, 2007. Sophomore Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio) added 17 points in the win, while Amanda Brown recorded a double-double with 12 tallies and 14 rebounds. The win marked the 600th of Rene Portland's PSU career, making her just the ninth coach to have 600 wins at one institution.
Gissendanner has been outstanding against the Wolverines in her career. In three games against Michigan, she is averaging 19.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per outing. Junior Brianne O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.) has also had three solid outings against the Wolverines, accounting for 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
The Lady Lions saw their 15-game home court winning streak come to end as Purdue handed Penn State a 79-70 loss at the Bryce Jordan Center Thursday. The winning streak was tied for the third longest in NCAA Division I. Grant led all scorers with 18 points, including a trio of three-pointers, to compliment four rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
Sophomore guard Meggan Quinn (Red Lion, Pa.) had a career night as she posted the first double-digit scoring performance of her career with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting in the loss to Purdue. She also knocked down three of her four shots from beyond the arc. The 11 points surpass Quinn's previous career high of eight tallies, which came against Mississippi earlier this season.
O'Rourke leads the Big Ten in assists per game with a 4.9 mark and has dished out at least four helpers in each of her last eight games. O'Rourke became the 14th player in school history to register 150 career steals with a theft in the second half of Thursday night's loss to Purdue. She is currently tied with Lisa Shepherd for 13th in school history in steals (150).
The Wolverines are 11-5 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten play. They are coming off of an overtime win at Wisconsin Thursday. Jessica Minnfield is tied for the team lead with a 10.1 scoring average, while Krista Phillips is tied with Minnfield atop the team scoring charts (10.1) and is also first in rebounding (5.1).
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. The Lady Lions return home to face Wisconsin on Kids Day at the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday, Feb. 3 at 2 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.