Nov. 23, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The Penn State Lady Lions (3-0) aim for a 4-0 start and begin a four-game road trip at Pittsburgh (1-1) on Monday at 7 p.m., at the Petersen Events Center. It will be a special evening for Brianne O'Rourke as she plays in front of her hometown fans for one final time.
LAST TIME OUT: The Lady Lions jumped out to an early lead and shot better than 53% from the field on the way to a 97-58 victory over Stony Brook at the Bryce Jordan Center Wednesday night. The Lady Lions notched their 15th consecutive non-conference home win to tie the school record that was set from 1984-87. Freshman guard Zhaque Gray was outstanding in just her second game as she led five Lady Lions in double figures with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting in just 17 minutes of action. Junior guard Meggan Quinn made the most of her first start with a career-high 14 points, including a 5-for-5 effort from the free throw line, five assists and three rebounds.
FINAL TRIP HOME: Senior guard Brianne O'Rourke will play one final game in her hometown of Pittsburgh on Monday night. She was a standout for Oakland Catholic High School where she led the Eagles to a pair of state titles. O'Rourke also played summer basketball with Pitt's Shavonte Zellous in high school. In three career games against her hometown Panthers, O'Rourke is averaging 7.0 points, 4.7 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals.
BACK-TO-BACK 80+: With a 97-58 victory over Stony Brook on Nov. 19 and an 80-49 win over Prairie View A&M on Nov. 21, the Lady Lions reached the 80-point mark in back-to-back games for the first time since 2005 when they downed Alabama A&M (80-59 on Dec. 19, 2005) and St. Francis (89-43 on Dec. 22, 2005).
SCOUTING PITT: The Panthers are 1-1 this season a loss to #12/7 Texas A&M, Penn State's next opponent, and a win over Eastern Michigan. Shavonte Zellous has been outstanding in two games for the Panthers, averaging 23.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while Pepper Wilson contributes 11.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per outing.
ALL-TIME VS. THE PANTHERS: The Lady Lions lead the all-time series with Pitt by a 26-12 margin, but are just 10-10 when playing in Pittsburgh. Last season, Penn State upset the 21st-ranked Panthers to win the WBCA Classic, 80-74, thanks in part to 19 points from Tyra Grant. The Lady Lions have won four of the last five outings against Pitt.
LAST TIME VS. PITT: The last time these squads squared off, the Lady Lions connected on 82.9% (34-of-41) of their free throws on the way to an 80-74 upset win over No. 20/21 Pittsburgh to claim the WBCA Classic championship. Tyra Grant was 8-for-12 from the field and finished with a game-high 19 points to lead five Lady Lions in double figures. Mashea Williams added 16 points and eight rebounds and Janessa Wolff registered her first career double-digit scoring performance with 14 points and eight rebounds.
GRANT'S GOT GAME: Junior guard Tyra Grant scored 22 of her game-high 26 points in the second half against Prairie View on Nov. 21. It was the 12th 20-point game of her career. Grant also tied her career high with four steals against the Panthers.
DEFENSE DOMINATES: The Lady Lions forced 27 turnovers in an 80-49 victory over Prairie View A&M on Nov. 21. The 27 turnovers are the most by a Penn State opponent since Wisconsin turned the ball over 27 times on March 2, 2003. The Lady Lions also registered 11 steals, the most since a 14-steal effort against Northwestern on Jan. 4, 2007.
Following Monday's game, the Lady Lions travel to Malibu, Calif., for the Timeout 4 HIV/AIDS Tournament at Pepperdine University where they will face # 12/7 Texas A&M in the opening round. After an ACC/Big Ten Challenge road game at Florida State on Wednesday, Dec. 3, the Lady Lions return to the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday, Dec. 6 to face Dayton at noon. 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.