Feb. 20, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The Lady Lions (13-13, 4-10) begin a five-day, two-game road trip to the state of Illinois on Thursday when they take on the Fighting Illini (14-11, 6-8) at Assembly Hall at 8 p.m. (Eastern). Penn State is looking to snap a seven-game losing streak and secure the season sweep of Illinois.
The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network with Brent Stover and Brenda VanLengen calling the action. The contest can also 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 21-11 overall against the Illini, including a 16-8 mark in Big Ten games. Penn State was victorious on two Tyra Grant free throws with 10 seconds remaining en route to a 49-48 decision over the Illini on Jan. 2. The Lady Lions are just 6-8 all-time in Champaign.
When these teams met to open the New Year, sophomore Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio) made two clutch free throw with just under 10 seconds remaining and junior Mashea Williams (Erie, Pa.) stepped in front of Rebecca Harris at the buzzer to take the charge and lead the Lady Lions to a thrilling 49-48 victory over Illinois on Jan. 2. Grant finished with 13 points, six rebounds and two assists, while Williams added 13 points, eight rebounds and two steals in the win.
Freshman guard/forward Julia Trogele (Devon, Pa.) and sophomore walk-on Nicole Arcidiacono (Langhorne, Pa.) earned their first career starts against Michigan State on Jan. 17. Trogele, who played all but three minutes in the game, had a career-high 10 rebounds to go along with four points and a career-high tying three blocked shots. Arcidiacono saw three minutes of action, which tied her career best mark.
The trip to Illinois will be a reunion for two Lady Lions as Brianne O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Williams will share the court with former high school teammates. O'Rourke and former Oakland Catholic teammate Audrey Tabon, a senior at Illinois, led Oakland Catholic to the state championship in 2003 under the direction of former PSU standout Suzie McConnell Serio. Williams and Illini junior Chelsea Gordon joined forces to lead Mercyhurst Prep to back-to-back PIAA State Championships in 2004 and 2005.
Senior guard Kam Gissendanner (Clairton, Pa.) has had the hot hand in her last five games, leading the team in scoring four of the last five outings and averaging 16.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. During this stretch, she has raised her season scoring average more than a full point per game to 12.2, which is second on the team.
The Illini are 14-11 overall and 6-8 in Big Ten play entering Thursday's game. Jenna Smith leads the Big Ten in rebounding (10.0) and field goal percentage (.545). She is also second in the league in scoring (19.0) and third in blocks (2.0). Lori Bjork is also averaging double figures for Illinois with a 10.0 per game mark, while Lacey Simpson tops the squad in assists (77) and steals (57).
The Lady Lions conclude its road swing against Northwestern on Sunday, Feb. 24 at 4 p.m. (Eastern), a game that can be seen on the Big Ten Network. The Lady Lions return to the Bryce Jordan Center for their final home game of the regular-season on Thursday, Feb. 28 against nationally-ranked Ohio State at 7 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.
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