Jan. 4, 2008
UnIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Fresh off a thrilling one-point win over Illinois Wednesday, the Lady Lions (10-4, 1-1) travel to Michigan State (9-6, 1-2) to square off against the Spartans Saturday at noon, a game that will be televised nationally on CBS.
The game will can be seen live nationally on CBS with Carter Blackburn and Nancy Lieberman calling the action. The game 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 are 22-6 all-time against Michigan State with a 19-5 mark in Big Ten?games. The two teams split a pair of outing last season with each team winning on their home court. The Spartans posted a 76-49 win at the Breslin Center, while the Lady Lions upset 21st-ranked MSU at the BJC, 69-58. The Lady Lions are just 7-5 all-time in East Lansing.
When these teams last met on Feb. 1, 2007 in East Lansing, Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio) had 22 points and four rebounds in a 76-49 loss at Michigan State. Amanda Brown also reached double figures in the loss with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Kam Gissendanner (Clairton, Pa.) is averaging 13.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in three career games against Michigan State. Grant is also averaging double figures against the Spartans with 24 points (12.0 ppg) in two contests against MSU last season.
Four of Penn State's five starters are averaging double figures, led by Grant who accounts for 14.5 per game. She is also among the league leaders in field goal percentage with a .470 mark. Brianne O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.) is second on the squad in scoring (12.4) and is second in the Big Ten in assists (4.3). Mashea Williams (Erie, Pa.) chips in 12.2 tallies per outing, while Gissendanner averages 11.6 points and a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game. Gissendanner needs 13 points to become the 30th Lady Lion to reach the milestone.
The Spartans are 9-6 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten this season. Sophomore Allyssa DeHaan is among the Big Ten leaders in scoring (16.2), rebounds (8.1)?and blocks (70). Kalisha Keane is also averaging double figures for Michigan State at a 14.3 per game clip.
The Lady Lions are back in the Jordan Center to face Northwestern on Thursday at 7 p.m., before heading to Minnesota on Sunday, Jan. 13 for a 2 p.m. (Eastern) contest that will be televised 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.