Nov. 18, 2008
The Penn State Lady Lions (1-0) will look to tie the school record for consecutive non-conference home wins as they host Stony Brook Wednesday night at 7 p.m., at the Bryce Jordan Center.
LAST TIME OUT: The Penn State Lady Lions used a dominating defensive performance to post a 56-42 victory over South Carolina in the season opener for both teams on Sunday. The Lady Lions held the Gamecocks to 25.5% shooting on the game and forced 20 turnovers in the win. Junior guard Tyra Grant led the Lady Lions on both sides of the ball as she had a game-high 17 points to go along with three rebounds and a steal. Senior guard Brianne O'Rourke added eight points, five assists and four rebounds, while sophomore post Janessa Wolff contributed eight points and five boards off the bench.
14 STRAIGHT NON-CONFERENCE WINS AT THE BJC: The Lady Lions have won their last 14 non-conference games at the Bryce Jordan Center, dating back to Dec. 22, 2005. The school record for consecutive non-conference home wins is 15, set from 1984-87. Penn State's last non-conference home loss was on Dec. 9, 2005 to Marquette (73-63).
SCOUTING STONY BROOK: The Seawolves are winless in two games this season with losses to Quinnipiac and Michigan State on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Sarah Kazadi is averaging 10.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, while Kirsten Jeter is accounting for 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in two games.
ALL-TIME VS. THE SEAWOLVES: This will be the first-ever meeting between the Lady Lions and Stony Brook. Penn State is 4-1 all-time against current America East teams, but has not faced a foe from that conference since a 98-57 win over New Hampshire on Dec. 8, 1984.
A PENN STATE WIN WOULD:
- Make Penn State 2-0 for the third straight year.
- Tie the school record for consecutive non-conference home wins (15).
- Be the 15th consecutive non-conference home win for the Lady Lions, dating back to 2005.
"D" DOMINATES: FEWEST POINTS SINCE 2005: The Lady Lions were on the top of their defensive game against South Carolina Sunday. The 42 points allowed are the fewest given up by Penn State since a 76-41 win over Illinois on Jan. 13, 2005. It also ties for the eighth-fewest points given up by a Penn State team this decade.
LADY LION 2009 CLASS RANKED NO. 7: Coquese Washington announced her highly touted 2009 recruiting class this week. The four-player class is ranked No. 7 by Blue Star Basketball No. 6 by Collegiate Girls Basketball Report and No. 13 by the All Star Girls Report. The class includes 5-7 point guard Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis), 6-4 center Nikki Greene (Diboll, Texas/Diboll), 5-11 guard Gizelle Studevent (La Jolla, Calif./The Bishop's School) and 6-3 forward Marisa Wolfe (Ford City, Pa./Ford City) who will start their Lady Lion careers in 2009-10.
EVE'S OFFENSIVE ATTACK: Sophomore forward Evelyn Lewis made the most of the first period of the 2008-09 season as she unleashed an offensive attack that saw her set a career high with seven points on 3-for-5 shooting. Lewis' previous career scoring mark was four against Syracuse on Dec. 6, 2007.
DO YOU TAKE CHARGE?: The entire Lady Lion defense rose to the challenge in the season-opening win against South Carolina, but it was junior guard Tyra Grant that made the most defensive noise for the Blue & White. Grant forced the Gamecocks into three offensive charges in the first six and a half minutes of the game. She also registered another South Carolina offensive foul in the second half.
OPENING ON THE RIGHT FOOT: With a 56-42 win over South Carolina on Nov. 16, Penn State is now 33-12 all-time in season openers. The Lady Lions are also 37-8 in home openers since 1965, including a 10-3 mark at the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Lady Lions complete their season-opening three-game homestand against Prairie View A&M on Fri., Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. Football season ticket holders can show their ticket and receive a buy one, get one free admission to the game. For information on Lady Lion Basketball tickets, call the Penn State ticket office at 814-865-5555.
The 2009 WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State proudly supported by Mimi Barash Coppersmith (formerly known as THINK PINK Day) will take place on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 3 p.m., as the Lady Lions take on Iowa in the Bryce Jordan Center. The game can be seen on www.bigtennetwork.com. The first two Pink Zone events have raised more than $50,000 for breast cancer awareness. This year's fundraising efforts will benefit the Penn State Hershey Breast Cancer Institute, the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition and the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. For more information on the Pink Zone at Penn State, visit the official Pink Zone website at www.gopsusports.com/pinkzone.