Feb. 14, 2009
2009 WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State Page
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - It will be a special day at the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday when the Penn State Lady Lions (9-14, 4-9) host the Iowa Hawkeyes (15-9, 8-5) in their Third Annual WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State proudly supported by Mimi Barash Coppersmith (formerly Think Pink). The game is scheduled to tip at 3 p.m. Fans in attendance will receive a pink hat or pink rally towel while supplies last at the gate. This year's Pink Zone fundraising efforts will benefit the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition and the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.
PROMOTIONS: The Lady Lions have a fun-filled day planned on Sunday to honor breast cancer survivors and draw awareness to breast cancer. Fans will receive either a pink hat or pink rally towel at the gates and there will be a special survivor presentation at halftime by Tammy Miller, the author of "The Lighter Side of Breast Cancer Recovery: Lessons Learned Along the Path to Healing". Following the game, the University Park Airport Paper Airplane contest will take place where fans will have a chance to win a $250 travel voucher from University Park Airport.
RADIO/WEB: A live video stream of the game is available on BigTenNetwork.com. The contest can be heard on the Penn State Sports Radio Network with Jerry Fisher (play-by-play) and Kellie Goodman (color) calling the action. The game will air locally WMAJ. The audio feed and a link to live stats are available at www.GoPSUSports.com.
SCOUTING IOWA: The Hawkeyes are coming off of an 85-75 upset win over first place Ohio State on Thursday. The win improves Iowa to 15-9 overall and 8-5 in conference play. Kristi Smith and Megan Skouby are tied for the team scoring lead at 13.0 points per game each. Smith leads the team in three-point field goal percentage at a 41.5% clip, while Skouby has blocked a team-best 41 shots this year. Wendy Ausdemore is the third Hawkeye averaging double figures with an 11.5 scoring mark.
ALL-TIME VS. THE HAWKEYES: The Lady Lions lead the all-time series with the Hawkeyes by a 19-15 margin, but Iowa has won the last four meetings between the squads. Penn State is 11-4 all-time at home against the Hawkeyes. Iowa survived a triple overtime game on Feb. 1 to hand Penn State a 97-89 loss. The Hawkeyes also swept the series last.
LAST TIME VS. IOWA: The Lady Lions and the Iowa Hawkeyes tangled in a battle for the ages on Sunday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena as the squads combined for the longest women's basketball game in arena history. The Hawkeyes found their rhythm at the right time and prevailed 97-89 in triple overtime. Junior Tyra Grant tied her career high with 33 points to go along with five rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Seniors Brianne O'Rourke and Mashea Williams had season-best performances with 20 points and 19 points, respectively.
LAST TIME OUT: The Lady Lions rallied from a 13-point deficit in the second half to tie the game, but could not finish off the comeback in a 58-52 loss at Wisconsin Thursday night. Junior Tyra Grant continued her outstanding season with a game-high 24 points for her 13th game this season with 20 or more tallies. Sophomore guard/forward Julia Trogele had six points, all of which came in the second-half rally, to go along with 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Coming off of an 11-point performance at Michigan Monday night, freshman Zhaque Gray was 3-for-4 from the field and made both of her free throw attempts to account for nine points in the loss to the Badgers.
GRANT MOVES INTO TOP 15: With her 24-point performance against Wisconsin on Feb. 12, junior Tyra Grant moved into 14th place on Penn State's all-time scoring list. She passed Cheryl Ellison (1,320) and assistant coach Maren Walseth (1,328) with her effort against the Badgers. Grant has 1,338 points in her three seasons in Happy Valley.
LADY LIONS JERSEYS AVAILABLE AT ONLINE AUCTION: The inaugural Pink Zone Online Auction that will run from Monday, Feb. 9 through Monday, Feb. 23. The Lady Lions will auction off all 13 of their Pink Zone game-worn jerseys, as well as other items, including a seven-day timeshare stay for anywhere in the world, Penn State experiences and autographed memorabilia. For more information on the Pink Zone Online Auction, visit the Pink Zone auction website at http://psupinkzone.cstvauctions.com.
TROGELE SOLID: At Wisconsin on Feb. 12, Julia Trogele returned to the form that she was in before injuring her ankle against Iowa on Feb. 2. The sophomore posted her fourth double-digit rebounding performance of the season with a game-high 11 boards. She also accounted for six points, all of which came in the second-half rally, three assists and two steals. In the loss to the Badgers, Trogele surpassed the 200-rebound mark for her career.
THREE PINK DAYS: The Lady Lions will participate in three WBCA Pink Zone days this season. Penn State sported their pink uniforms on Sunday, Feb. 1 at Iowa to help raise awareness for breast cancer. The Lady Lions will host their third Pink Zone day on Sunday, Feb. 15 against the Hawkeyes at 3 p.m. and will also participate in Illinois' Pink Zone event on Sunday, Feb. 22.
SHIRT OFF THEIR BACK AUCTION POSTGAME: Fans attending Sunday's game will have an opportunity to purchase a chance to win one of the 13 Lady Lion game-worn shooting shirt for $5 per entry. The Lady Lions will wear the Nike/Kay Yow t-shirts during warm-ups. The "Shirt Off Their Back" auction take place at the end of the game and each Lady Lion will remove their shooting shirt, autograph it and hand it to the winning fan. There will also be an opportunity for a fan to win the pink Wilson basketball used in the ceremonial tip on Pink Zone Day.
HARRISON'S WINE GRILL OFFER WILL BENEFIT PINK ZONE: Dine at Harrison's the week after WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State game on February 15, 2009, mention Pink Zone and 20% of the check before taxes and gratuity will directly benefit Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute and the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. There is no limit to the number of times you can enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner between February 16 - 21, 2009 to benefit these charities. The more that you, your family and friends enjoy delicious food at Harrison's, the greater the fundraising benefit! In fact, tell others who would like to support our efforts, just have them mention the Lady Lions Pink Zone, WBCA or simply, the fight against Breast Cancer when they dine at Harrison's that week and we will continue to score important funds to beat breast cancer! Harrison's is locally owned and conveniently located on E. College Avenue, within the Hilton Garden Inn.
The Lady Lions complete their two-game homestand with their Code Blue event against Purdue on Thursday at 7 p.m., before traveling to Illinois on Sunday, Feb. 22 for their Pink Zone Day at 3 p.m. (Eastern). 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 online auction will run until Monday, Feb. 23 at 5 p.m. Items that will be available up for bid include all 13 of the uniforms worn by the Lady Lions for the Pink Zone game, as well as a one-week timeshare for anywhere in the world, Penn State football experiences, NASCAR experience and autographed memorabilia. For more information on the Pink Zone Online Auction, visit the Pink Zone auction website (http://psupinkzone.cstvauctions.com). The funds raised from the online auction benefit the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition and the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.