Nov. 15, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The Penn State Lady Lions (2-0) overcame a sluggish start and turned in a solid second half performance en route to a 79-57 win over NJIT (0-1) Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center. Freshman Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.) led four Penn State players in double figures with 16 points. The Lady Lions are 2-0 for the fourth consecutive season.
After being shutout in her first collegiate game, Bentley was stellar for the Lady Lions, narrowly missing a double-double with a team-high 16 points via a 6-for-11 effort from the field and nine assists. She also had two steals and two rebounds. Sophomore Zhaque Gray (Chicago, Ill.) added 14 points and a career-best six rebounds.
Junior Julia Trogele (Devon, Pa.) accounted for 14 points, nine rebounds and two assists in just 23 minutes of action. She was 4-for-7 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free throw line on the game. Trogele has made her first nine free throws this year and her last 12 shots from the charity stripe, dating back to last season. Senior Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio) also reached double-digits with 11 points, while classmate Meredith Monroe (Olney, Md.) added seven points and six rebounds off of the bench.
Freshman Nikki Greene (Diboll, Texas) put the Lady Lions on the board with a bucket 32 seconds into the game, but the Highlanders scored the next three points of the game to take a 3-2 lead with 18:40 left in the first half. However, the Lady Lions responded quickly as Gray three-pointer kicked off a 9-2 run to put the Lady Lions ahead 11-5 with just over 15 minutes left in the first half. Bentley scored her first career points during the run, while Janessa Wolff (Park Rapids, Minn.) and Monroe added two points each.
The Highlanders put together a run of their own, scoring 11 consecutive points to take a 16-11 lead with 11 minutes remaining in the opening period. NJIT would extend the lead to as many as eight (24-16) with 7:50 on the clock before Penn State reeled off a 15-2 run over the next four minutes to take a 31-26 lead with four minutes to play in the half. Bentley was the sparkplug for the Lady Lions during the run as she scored on basket and assisted on four others. Marisa Wolfe (Ford City, Pa.) accounted for four tallies during the run and Gray added her second three-pointer of the game to pace the Lions.
After an exchange of points, the Lady Lions finished the half with five straight points by Trogele thanks to an old-fashioned three-point play and a pair of free throws to take a 38-30 lead in the locker room. Gray led the Lady Lions with eight points in the first half, while Trogele added seven points and three rebounds. Jessica Gerald had a game-high 13 points in the opening frame to lead NJIT.
NJIT drained a three-pointer on its opening possession of the second half to slice the Lady Lion lead to five (38-33). Following a layup by Gray, NJIT scored on their next two possessions to move within three points (40-37) with 16 and a half minutes left. The Lady Lions stepped up their defensive effort, holding the Highlanders without a score for the next four minutes. During that span, Penn State scored nine consecutive points to take a 49-37 lead with 12:48 on the clock. Bentley scored four of the Lions' nine points during the run, while Grant and Trogele added two points each and Monroe chipped in one free throw.
With just under 12 left in the game and the Lady Lions leading by 10 (51-41), Bentley scored five consecutive points to single-handedly push the Penn State lead to 56-41 with 10 minutes to play. The lead remained around 15 until a layup by Monroe with six minutes left started an 8-0 for the Lady Lions to push the lead to 22 (72-50) with four minutes left and secure the win for Penn State.
GAME NOTES: The Lady Lions are 2-0 for the fourth consecutive season...Tyra Grant had 11 points giving her double-digit scoring efforts in her first two games this season. Dating back to last season, Grant has 14 consecutive double-digit scoring games...Alex Bentley recorded her first career points and double-digit scoring game with a 16-point effort...Bentley additionally dished out a career-high nine assists vs. the Highlanders...With the victory, the Lady Lions improve to 38-8 in home openers, including an 11-3 record in home openers at the Bryce Jordan Center...Zhaque Gray notched her fourth career double-digit scoring effort, knocking down 14 points...Gray reached the 100-point plateau for her career. She now has 101 career points...Gray grabbed a career-high six rebounds, surpassing her previous mark of three at Iowa on Feb. 1, 2009...With a 14-point effort, Julia Trogele recorded her 13th double-digit scoring game...Trogele is 9-for-9 from the free throw line this season, and has made her last 12 free throws dating back to last season...Gizelle Studevent had her first career points in a Lady Lion uniform scoring four...The Lady Lions had four players scoring in double-digits for the first time since Feb. 22 when Penn State defeated Illinois, 67-56.
The Lady Lions begin a four-game road trip on Thursday at Bucknell at 7 p.m., they will then travel to South Carolina to take on the Gamecocks Sunday at 3 p.m. Following the Maine Thanksgiving tournament, Penn State returns to the Bryce Jordan Center on Wed., Dec. 2 to face Georgia Tech in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at 6:30 p.m. Single-game tickets can be purchased by calling the Penn State ticket office at 814-865-5555.
The 2010 WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State will take place on Sunday, Jan. 24 at 1 p.m., as the Lady Lions take on Illinois in the Bryce Jordan Center. The game can be seen on www.bigtennetwork.com. The first three Pink Zone events have raised more than $80,000 for breast cancer awareness. This year's fundraising efforts will benefit the Mount Nittany Medical Center, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, 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.
The Lady Lions are on Twitter. Follow head coach Coquese Washington (@psucoachquese), sports information contact Kris Petersen (@ladylionsid) and the Lady Lions and assistant coaches (@pennstatewbb) to get the inside scoop. The Lady Lions are also on Facebook. Search Lady Lion Basketball and become a fan.