Feb. 5, 2009
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Seemingly in command for much of the game, the Penn State Lady Lions (8-13, 3-8) were held with without a field goal for the final 2:36 of the game en route to a tough 63-61 loss to Minnesota (16-6, 8-3) on Thursday evening at the Bryce Jordan Center. Junior Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio), who was unable to connect on Penn State's final attempt to tie the game with four seconds left, continued her stellar play with a team-best 21 points for her 12th 20-point performance of the season.
Grant also added three rebounds and three assists in the loss. With her scoring performance tonight, Grant moved up four spots on Penn State's career scoring chart into 16th place (1,299). Starting in place of the injured Julia Trogele (Devon, Pa.), Janessa Wolff (Park Rapids, Minn.) was solid against her home state team as she hit her first four shots and finished with 11 points. She also pulled down five rebounds and had three steals and a pair of assists.
Senior Mashea Williams (Erie, Pa.) was the third Lady Lion in double figures with 10 points to go along with four rebounds and a career-high tying five steals. Fellow senior Brianne O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added eight points and five assists, while Meredith Monroe (Olney, Md.) accounted for six points, four rebounds and a career-best two steals in the loss. The Lady Lions played solid defense as they forced 23 Minnesota turnovers and registered 12 steals. This was Penn State's 11th game with 10 or more steals, the highest since the 2004-05 campaign when PSU had 15 games with 10 or more steals.
The Lady Lions jumped out to a 10-5 thanks to four points by Grant and two tallies each by O'Rourke, Williams and Wolff. As has been the case in recent games, the Lions saw their lead dissipate after a 7-2 Minnesota run to tie the game at 12-12. Wolff stopped the four-minute scoring drought for the Lady Lions with a deep two-pointer and then added a bank shot on the ensuing offensive possession to give PSU a 16-12 lead with 9:33 remaining in the half.
The teams swapped baskets to keep the Lady Lion lead at four points before Williams picked off a pass and went the length of the floor for the lay-in to start a 9-2 Penn State run. Wolff hit one of two free throws and then Grant knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to give the Lions an 11-points lead at 29-18 with 4:21 on the clock. Kiara Buford ended the run with a three of her own to cut the Penn State lead to eight points (29-21), but the Lady Lions responded with a rebound and putback by Monroe.
Emily Fox and Grant played dueling three-pointers on the next two offensive possessions to keep the Lady Lion lead at 10 points (34-24) with 1:30 left in the first half. Ashley Ellis-Milan capped the scoring in the first half with back-to-back baskets and send the teams into the half with the Lady Lions leading by six, 34-28.
Grant led the way with 13 points in the first half, while Wolff added nine points on a perfect 4-for-4 effort from the field and three steals. The Lady Lion defense was solid as it forced 16 Minnesota turnovers and produced seven steals in the opening frame. Fox paced Minnesota with 11 tallies on 5-of-5 shooting.
The second half started with Ellis-Milan continuing her personal run with two free throws to make it a 34-30 game just one minute in. In a sudden offensive outburst, the teams went end-to-end and continued to exchange scoring opportunities to keep the game at a four-point margin until the Golden Gophers scored four straight points to tie the game at 44-44 with 12:48 left in the game.
Grant put the Lions back on top with a floater in the lane, but Minnesota would tie it at 46-46 with a little more than 11 minutes remaining. O'Rourke netted a layup on the ensuing possession, but the Golden Gophers responded with a three-pointer from Jackie Voigt to put Minnesota on top for the first time since the 17:40 mark of the first half. The Gophers extended their lead to 50-48 with 9:21 on the clock after Buford made one of her two free throw attempts.
Evelyn Lewis (Hampton, Va.) tied the game at 50-50 with a nice move in the paint for the layup and the foul, but she was unable to convert on the free throw attempt. Grant pushed the Lions back to the lead with a layup before Fox connected on a jumper to tie the game at 52-52 with just over seven minutes to play. Lewis hit one of two free throws to give PSU a 53-52 lead, but Fox continued her impressive evening with a basket to put the Gophers back on top (54-53).
The Lady Lions got a fade away jumper from Grant and two free throws by Williams to pull ahead by three points (57-54) with 4:37 left, but the Golden Gophers immediately responded with three consecutive points to tie the game at 57-57 with four minutes left. Fox and Grant continued their offensive assaults as they swapped baskets to put the game at a 59-59 tie with 2:36 on the clock before Ellis-Milan knocked down one of two free throws to put Minnesota ahead by a single point (60-59).
Ellis-Milan added to the Gopher lead with an offensive rebound and putback, but Wolff drained a pair of free throws to keep the Lions within a point (62-61) with just over a minute to play. After Grant missed a jumper with 17 seconds left, Penn State fouled Fox, who hit one of two free throws to make it 63-61 game with 15 ticks on the clock. The Lady Lions had one final opportunity to tie the game, but Grant's shot with four seconds left glanced off the rim and into the arms of Voigt who held the ball until the clock expired.
GAME NOTES: Tyra Grant reached the 20-point plateau for the 12th time this season and the 23rd in her career...This was Penn State's 11th game with 10 or more steals, the highest since the 2004-05 campaign when PSU had 15 games with 10 or more steals...With her 21-point performance, Tyra Grant moved up four spots on Penn State's career scoring chart into 16th place (1,299)...Mashea Williams tied her career high with five steals...Williams is the first player to have 5 steals since Brianne O'Rourke against Illinois on 12/28/08...Meredith Monroe had a career-high two steals...Brianne O'Rourke's five assists move her into seventh place on the all-time list with 530 helpers...Janessa Wolff had one block, giving her a career total of 46 and tying Laura Hughes for 18th place on Penn State's all-time list...Tyra Grant connected on a trio of three-pointers, moving her into a tied for ninth place with Lynn Dougherty on the PSU career chart (113)... The Lady Lions are 21-8 all-time against Minnesota, including a 12-2 record in home games...Penn State has lost seven of its last nine games against the Gophers.
The Lady Lions hit the road to face Michigan (Mon, Feb. 9) and Wisconsin (Thurs., Feb. 12) before returning to the BJC for the Third Annual WBCA Pink Zone Day. Fans will receive a Pink Lady Lion Basketball hat at the gates, while supplies last, and there will be a special presentation to honor breast cancer survivors at halftime. 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.