Aug. 25, 2009
2009-10 Lady Lion Basketball Schedule
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The Penn State women's basketball team announced its 2009-10 Big Ten Conference schedule today. The Lady Lions kick off their Big Ten slate at Minnesota on Sun., Dec. 6 and play their Big Ten home opener against Iowa on Mon., Dec. 28. Penn State will also host Fourth Annual WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State on Sun., Jan. 24 against Illinois. The Lady Lions have raised more than $82,000 for breast cancer research through its first three Pink Zone events.
The Lady Lions will once again play their traditional Thursday-Sunday conference schedule with the exception of one Monday tilt against Iowa at the Bryce Jordan Center following the Christmas holiday on Mon., Dec. 28. The Lady Lions will face every Big Ten foe twice with the exception of Northwestern (away only) and Ohio State (home only).
Penn State opens the Big Ten schedule at Minnesota on Sun., Dec. 6 at 4 p.m., a game that can be seen on the Big Ten Network. The Lady Lions start the home portion of their conference slate against Iowa on Mon., Dec. 28, before hitting the road for a pair of games at Illinois (Thurs., Dec. 31) and Northwestern (Sun., Jan. 3). The rest of the Lady Lions' home Big Ten schedule features four home games in January: Indiana (Sun., Jan. 10 at noon), Michigan State (Sun., Jan. 17), Illinois (Sun., Jan. 24) and Purdue (Thurs., Jan. 27), as well as four home contests in February: Ohio State (Sun., Feb. 7), Minnesota (Thurs., Feb. 11), Michigan (Thurs., Feb. 18) and Wisconsin (Thurs., Feb. 25). The Big Ten Network will be televising the game against Indiana.
In addition to the Minnesota (Sun., Dec. 6), Illinois (Thurs., Dec. 31) and Northwestern (Sun., Jan. 3) road games, the Lady Lions' away Big Ten schedule has the team slated to play Iowa (Thurs., Jan. 14), Wisconsin (Thurs. Jan. 21). Michigan (Sun., Jan. 31), Michigan State (Thurs., Feb. 4), Purdue (Sun., Feb. 14) and Indiana (Sun. Feb. 28).
The last two games of the regular season (vs. Wisconsin and at Indiana) have the potential to be picked up as part of the conference's wildcard series. The Big Ten Network will broadcast two wildcard contests, one on Thurs., Feb. 25 and one on Sun., Feb. 28.
The Big Ten Tournament will be played March 4-7 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
The Lady Lions, who will face Indiana (Pa.) in an exhibition on Sun., Nov. 8, previously released their non-conference schedule. Penn State opens the 2009-10 regular-season campaign with a road game at Colonial Athletic Association champion Drexel on Fri., Nov. 13. The Lady Lions host NJIT on Sun., Nov. 15 in the home opener, the day after the football team's game against Indiana. The Lady Lions then hit the road for four games at Bucknell (Thurs., Nov. 19), South Carolina (Sun., Nov. 22) and the Maine Classic (Fri., Nov. 27 & Sat., Nov. 28). The Lady Lions will meet Buffalo in the opening round of the Maine Classic before facing the host Black Bears or Holy Cross in the championship/consolation game.
Penn State welcomes Georgia Tech to the Bryce Jordan Center on Wed., Dec. 2 in the Third Annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge. It will be the first-ever meeting between the Lady Lions and the Yellow Jackets. The Lady Lions will close out their non-conference schedule with a trio of home games against Monmouth (Wed., Dec. 9), Pittsburgh (Sat., Dec. 12) and Oakland (Mon., Dec. 21). The Lady Lions will honor the 10th anniversary of the 2000 Final Four team at the Pitt game.
Headlining the list of returning Lady Lions is All-Big Ten first team selection Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio), who finished second in the conference and 18th in the country in scoring at a 19.6 per game clip. The senior guard became just the 14th junior in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark when she accomplished the feat against Florida State. Grant, a preseason Wooden Award candidate, will have a chance to become the fourth player in school history to reach 2,000 tallies as she enters her final season needing 553 points to reach the milestone.
Junior guard/forward Julia Trogele (Devon, Pa.) is also back in the fold after leading the team and finishing 12th in the Big Ten with a 6.3 rebounding average. She was also among the conference leaders with a .433 field goal percentage. Trogele, who spent the summer playing for the U20 German National Team, was fourth on the squad in scoring (7.6) and steals (33) a year ago. Penn State also adds the 14th-ranked recruiting class by ESPN/Hoopgurlz that includes WBCA and SLAM! Magazine All-American Nikki Greene (Diboll, Texas) and Parade Magazine All-American Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.).
Lady Lion Basketball season tickets are available by calling 1-800-NITTANY or 814-863-1000. Season tickets are $117 for adults, $52 for youth and $91 for seniors. Penn State fans that attend the Indiana football game can use their football ticket to receive buy one ticket, get one free ticket for the Lady Lions' game against NJIT on Sat., Nov. 15.
The Lady Lions are on Twitter. Follow head coach Coquese Washington (@psucoachquese) and sports information contact Kris Petersen (@ladylionsid) to get the inside scoop. The Lady Lions are also on Facebook. Search Lady Lion Basketball and become a fan.