Dec. 19, 2008
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Michigan State Game Notes (12/21/08)
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - After a week off for exams, the Penn State Lady Lions (5-5) open the 18-game Big Ten Conference slate at the Bryce Jordan Center against Michigan State (7-4) Sunday at noon. Fans will receive a Kelly Mazzante commemorative canvas at the gates while supplies last. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
PROMOTIONS/GIVEAWAYS: Fans will receive a Kelly Mazzante commemorative canvas at the gates while supplies last. Also on Sunday, youth can receive a free ticket with the purchase of a full price adult ticket. This ticket deal cannot be combined with any other offer.
"BE OUR STUDENT SECTION" SEASON TICKET HOLDER EXCHANGE: With the students on break, Lady Lion basketball season ticket holders can exchange their season tickets for a seat in Section 124 to become the Lady Lion "student section" at any of the following games: Michigan State (Sun., Dec. 21), Illinois (Sun., Dec. 28), Michigan (Sun., Jan. 4) and Indiana (Sun., Jan. 11). The tickets that are exchanged will not be resold and instead will be distributed to youth organization in the area.
TV/RADIO/WEB: The game can be seen on the Big Ten Network with Leah Secondo (play-by-play) and Theresa Grentz (analyst) calling the action. The contest can also be heard on the Penn State Sports Radio Network with Jerry Fisher (play-by-play) and Kellie Goodman (color) describing play. The game will air locally WMAJ. The audio feed and a link to GameTracker are available at www.GoPSUSports.com.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE: The Spartans are 7-4 on the season, but have lost four of their last five contests, following a 30-point win over Delaware State Thursday. Aisha Jefferson has paced MSU's offensive efforts with a 14.1 scoring average, while 6-9 junior Allyssa DeHaan accounts for 9.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and a conference-best 3.9 blocks per game.
ALL-TIME VS. THE SPARTANS: The Lady Lions are 23-7 all-time against the Spartans, including a 13-1 mark at home. The two squads have split the series each of the last two seasons. In 2007-08, the Lady Lions shocked Michigan State on its home court, 69-57, in a game that appeared on CBS on Jan. 5, while the Spartans picked up their first-ever win in Happy Valley with a 66-50 victory on Feb. 17.
LAST TIME VS. MSU: The Lady Lions dropped a 66-50 decision to the Spartans on Senior Day in front of 5,910 fans. Sophomore guard Tyra Grant was 4-for-7 from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 from the line en route to a game-high 18 points. Senior guard Kam Gissendanner accounted for nine points, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
LAST TIME OUT: The Lady Lions came out Sunday with fire and put up a strong fight against No. 1/1 Connecticut, but the five-time National Champion Huskies handed the Lady Lions a 77-63 loss in the Third Annual Maggie Dixon Classic at Madison Square Garden. Junior Tyra Grant poured in 26 points and tallied eight rebounds and three steals to lead the offensive charge for Penn State. Senior guard Mashea Williams added 17 points and six rebounds, while senior guard Brianne O'Rourke was the third player in double figures with 13 points to go along with six assists and two steals.
LADY LIONS IN BIG TEN OPENERS: The Lady Lions are 10-6 in Big Ten openers since joining the conference in the 1992-93 season. Penn State is more successful in its Big Ten home openers with a 12-4 record. Overall, the Lady Lions are 179-83 in Big Ten Conference games.
GRANT CONTINUES TO ROLL: Junior Tyra Grant continued her impressive start to the season as she tallied 26 points on 10-of-21 shooting in the loss to top-ranked Connecticut on Dec. 14. She also grabbed eight rebounds and had two steals against the Huskies. Grant has hit the 20-point mark in five of PSU's first 10 games and is the only player on the team to reach double figures in every game.
WILLIAMS HAS SOLID NIGHT: Mashea Williams had her best game of the season against the best team in the country. In the Dec. 14 loss to No. 1/1 Connecticut, the senior guard tallied season-bests with 17 points, seven rebounds and her first blocked shot of the campaign. In the four games since returning from her hand injury, Williams is averaging 10.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game. She is also shooting nearly 50% from the field (47.2%).
Penn State faces Illinois in the "Operation Warm" game for this season on Sunday, Dec. 28 at noon. The game against the Illini is also a Subway Full Court 4-Pack day and can be seen on the Big Ten Network. Following the Illinois game, the Lady Lions travel to Minnesota for a New Year's Day contest before returning to the BJC to meet Michigan (Sun., Jan. 4) and Indiana (Sun., Jan. 11). 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.