Dec. 28, 2008
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State Lady Lions (6-6, 1-1) used a 10-3 run over the final six-plus of the game and fended off a pair of game-tying three-point attempts to rally for a 54-51 victory over Illinois (4-8, 0-1) on Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Lions, who trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half before their late rally, snap a 13-game Big Ten Conference losing streak, dating back to Jan. 20, 2008 against Michigan.
Sophomore forward Janessa Wolff (Park Rapids, Minn.) made several key plays late in the game, including a game-tying layup with just under two minutes remaining, a jumper with 39 seconds left to make it a three-point game and a steal on the ensuing Illinois' possession. The Lady Lions held Illinois to just eight field goals and 20 points in the second half to help spur on the late surge. Penn State also registered 11 steals on 18 Illini turnovers on the game, which is the seventh time in the last eight games that the Lady Lions have forced 10 or more steals.
Junior guard Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio) notched her fourth consecutive game with 20 or more points as she accumulated 21 tallies to go along with seven rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal. Wolff came off the bench to spark the Lady Lions with 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, while senior guard Brianne O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.) contributed nine points, four assists and a game-high five steals. Sophomore Julia Trogele (Devon, Pa.) pitched in with a team-best 10 rebounds, including five caroms on the offensive glass.
Trailing by nine points (42-33) with 13:36 left in the game, a pair of free throws by O'Rourke sparked an 8-0 Lady Lion run to pull within a point (42-41) with just over 12 minutes remaining. Freshman Zhaque Gray (Chicago, Ill.) had a nice driving layup during the run and Wolff took a pass from O'Rourke for an easy bucket. O'Rourke capped the run with a steal and fastbreak layup of her own. However, the Illini responded with four-straight points to push the lead back to five (46-41) with 9:48 on the clock.
A jumper by freshman Renee Womack (Lansdale, Pa.) started a two-minute scoring drought for both teams until Fabiola Josil hit a jumper with 6:38 remaining to give Illinois a 48-43 lead. Wolff the connected on a pair of free throws on the ensuing Penn State possession to slice the deficit to just three points (48-45) with 6:04 on the clock. Following a solid defensive effort, the Lady Lions knotted the game at 48-48 on an O'Rourke three-pointer with just under five minutes left.
A three-point play by Jenna Smith on the next Illinois possession put the Fighting Illini up by three tallies with 5:16 left in the game, but it proved to be the final points the Illini would put on the board. Womack was fouled on her layup attempt with 3:35 remaining and made one of two free throws to make it as 51-49 game before Wolff connected on a layup off of a pass from Mashea Williams (Erie, Pa.) to tie the game at 51-51 with just under two minutes on the clock.
The Lady Lions forced back-to-back turnovers by the Illini, the second of which led to a Williams steal and missed layup by O'Rourke. However, Williams was in position to grab the rebound and was fouled on her shot attempt. Williams made the first shot from the charity stripe and missed the second, but Trogele pulled in the missed freebie. Following a timeout, Grant missed a jumper, but Wolff snatched the rebound and drained a 15-footer to give the Lady Lions their largest lead of the game at three points (54-51) with 39 second on the clock. The Illini got off three-point attempts by Smith and Lacey Simpson in the final three seconds, but did not make either shot to seal the win for the Lady Lions.
The Lady Lions were sluggish in the first half, managing just 23 points with a 31% field goal mark and 10 turnovers. Grant was the lone bright spot for the Lions in the opening frame with 15 points and four rebounds.
GAME NOTES: The win snaps a 13-game Big Ten Conference losing streak, dating back to Jan. 20, 2008 (Michigan)...Junior guard Tyra Grant surpassed the 1,100-point mark in her career with a three-pointer at the 9:43 mark of the first half...Grant also recorded double figures in points for the 12th time this year, the only Lady Lion to score in double figures in every game this year...It also marked the fourth-straight game and seventh contest this season that she has scored 20 or more points...Grant has also scored in double figures in 16 consecutive games dating back to last year...Penn State out-rebounded its opponent for the fifth time this year...The Lady Lions held Illinois to less 40%shooting from the field, marking the third time in the last four games that Penn State has held its opponent under 40% shooting...Sophomore Julia Trogele grabbed 10 rebounds, the third time this year she has had 10 or more boards...Penn State won for the first time this season when trailing with five minutes left.
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). Both the Michigan and Indiana games are Subway Full Court Four-Pack games where fans will receive our (4) reserved game tickets, a voucher for four (4) soft drinks redeemable at the Jordan Center and a voucher for four (4) 6-inch subs redeemable at any of seven State College area Subway locations all for just $40. The voucher is not valid at the Bryce Jordan Center Subway location. 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.