Jan. 5, 2008
EAST LANSING, MICH. - In front of a large contingent of Coquese Washington's family and friends, the Lady Lions (11-4, 2-1) snapped a 12-game Big Ten road losing streak with a 69-57 victory over Michigan State (9-7, 1-3) in front of the sixth-largest crowd in Breslin Center history and a national audience on CBS. The Lady Lions last won a road game against a Big Ten foe on Jan. 22, 2006 at Northwestern (91-48).
Brianne O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had a solid all-round performance as she tied her career high with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting, dished out four assists and pulled down six rebounds. Fellow junior Mashea Williams (Erie, Pa.) added 18 points, six rebounds and seven assists in the win, while Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio) chipped in 13 points and two steals.
The Lady Lions were able to hold All-Big Ten player Allyssa DeHaan down early as she had three turnovers and a foul in the first six and a half minutes of the game. Penn State took advantage, jumping out to a 10-4 lead just four minutes into the game. Williams and O'Rourke had three points each in the opening stretch, while Gissendanner and freshman Janessa Wolff (Park Rapids, Minn.) added two points apiece.
The Spartans inched back into the game and moved within two points at 15-13 with 11:39 left in the opening frame before Grant knocked down a three-pointer and Williams converted on a lay-up to extend it to a seven-point Lady Lion lead. Michigan State once again pulled within two points (23-21) and took the lead at 24-23 on a three-pointer by Kalisha Keane with just over eight minutes to play in the half. The Lady Lions responded immediately with a three-pointer by Gissendanner to reassume the lead at 26-24.
The teams swapped baskets for the next three possessions, but Penn State went nearly four minutes without a basket, allowing MSU to take a three-point lead (31-28) with just under four minutes left in the half. The Lady Lions ratcheted up the defense as O'Rourke stripped DeHaan and ran the floor for a wide-open lay-up to pull Penn State within one. On the ensuing possession, Grant stole the ball, passed to Williams who found a streaking O'Rourke for a lay-up to put the Lady Lions ahead by one (32-31) with just over three minutes left. The squads exchanged baskets down the stretch to send Penn State into the half with a 37-36 lead.
The Lady Lions shot 53.6% from the field in the opening frame, led by Grant, who finished with 10 points and three rebounds, and O'Rourke, who added 10 points, four assists and two steals.
After allowing Michigan State to retake the lead (38-37) on a basket by DeHaan in the opening minute of the second period, the Lady Lions went on an 8-0 run, which included six tallies by Williams, to move ahead by seven points at 45-38 with 16 minutes to play. The Spartans cut the lead back to two points (47-45) with 11:39 remaining in the game, but the Lady Lions would once again regain control of the game with back-to-back baskets by O'Rourke and Williams.
Following two free throws by DeHaan to make it a 53-49 game with 9:15 remaining, Penn State went on a 10-2 run to establish a 63-51 lead with five and a half minutes left in the game. Williams and O'Rourke had three points each during the run, while Wolff and Mark added two tallies. Michigan State got a basket from Brittney Thomas to make it a 10-point game, but the Lady Lions controlled the game down the stretch, including four free throws by O'Rourke, to come away with the 12-point win.
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.