Feb. 2, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The Lady Lions (13-8, 4-5) will face off against Wisconsin (10-10, 3-7) for the second time in 10 days as the squads meet on Sunday for Kids Day at the Bryce Jordan Center at 2 p.m. Penn State hopes that a turn in the calendar to February will have a turn in its luck having lost four of their last five games.
Several lucky kids will have the opportunity to get a behind the scenes look at Lady Lion game day on the Second Annual Lady Lion Kids Day. For those kids that were not selected to shadow a member of the Penn State staff, there will be Kids Scorecards given out at the gates while supplies last. Sunday also features $1 youth tickets in honor of Kids Day and is also a 4 for $40 day where fans will get four tickets, four hot dogs and four drinks for $40.
The 2007 National Championship women's volleyball team will be signing autographs on the concourse before the game. The Lady Lions will also be recognizing all of the women's sports team as part of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. At halftime, fans can enjoy the Bucket Boy, and following the game, the Lady Lions will hold their final THINK PINK Ball Launch. Balls can be purchased at Portal 15 or at the THINK PINK Day information table on the concourse for $2 each or 3 for $5.
The game will be televised on WPSU with Kellie Goodman and Margo Plotzke 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 are 23-6 all-time against Wisconsin, including a 21-6 lead in Big Ten games. Penn State has won 11 of the last 13 meetings with the Badgers. Wisconsin posted a 79-52 victory over the Lady Lions just 10 days ago. The Badgers are one of the three Big Ten teams (Michigan State, Minnesota, Wisconsin) that have never won in Happy Valley. The Lady Lions are 14-0 against Wisconsin at home.
When these teams met 10 days ago in Madison, the Lady Lions struggled from the field and gave up 21 offensive rebounds to Wisconsin as the Badgers handed Penn State a 79-52 loss. The Badgers also set a school record with just five turnovers in the game. Brianne O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had a team-high 14 points to go along with four rebounds, while Mashea Williams (Erie, Pa.) added 13 points and two steals in the loss.
O'Rourke leads the Big Ten and is 43rd nationally in assists per game with a 4.8 mark. She is also tied for 14th in the conference in scoring (12.4), is seventh in free throw percentage (.844) and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.42). With 260 points this season, O'Rourke has already surpassed her season totals for her first two seasons as a Lady Lion and is just eight points away from the 700-point mark for her career.
Kam Gissendanner (Clairton, Pa.) is tops in the Big Ten in free throw percentage with an 87.5% mark. She is also 19th in the league in scoring (11.2), while Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio) and Williams are eighth (14.5) and 18th (11.4) in the conference in scoring, respectively.
Following a 1-6 start to the Big Ten season, the Badgers have won two of their last three contests. Jolene Anderson is the Big Ten's leading scorer at a 20.1 per game clip. She also leads the squad in rebounding (7.7). Janese Banks is second on the team in scoring (14.2).
The Lady Lions travel to Ann Arbor to face Michigan on Thursday at 7 p.m., before returning to the BJC for a three-game homestand. The homestand kicks off with the Second Annual THINK PINK Day proudly supported by Mimi Barash Coppersmith on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 12 p.m. against Iowa. The Lady Lions will then take on Minnesota on Feb. 14 and Michigan State on Feb. 17.
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.
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