Nov. 24, 2009
Dead River Company Classic Game Notes (11/26-27/09) |
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The Penn State Lady Lions (3-1) close out their four-game road trip in Orono, Maine at the Dead River Company Classic hosted by the University of Maine over Thanksgiving weekend. The Lady Lions will face Buffalo (1-2) in the opening round of the tournament on Friday at 4 p.m. Penn State will face the winner/loser of the Maine (1-2) vs. Holy Cross (2-2) game on Saturday at noon or 2 p.m.
RADIO: Both games can be heard on the Penn State Sports Network with Jerry Fisher calling the action. Locally, the games can be heard on ESPN Radio 1450. The audio feed is available at www.GoPSUsports.com.
LAST TIME OUT: The Lady Lions just 28.6% from the field and turned the ball over 21 times, 17 of which came in the first half, on the way to a 63-56 loss at South Carolina Sunday. After a slow first half, senior Tyra Grant led three Lady Lions in double figures with 18 points, including 15 tallies in the second frame. She also pulled in six rebounds and blocked two shots before fouling out with 24 seconds left. Zhaque Gray reached double figures for the third consecutive game with 11 points to go along with six rebounds.
SCOUTING BUFFALO: Buffalo is 1-2 on the season with their lone victory coming in overtime against Niagara in it season-opener. Kourtney Brown leads the team in both scoring (19.3), rebounding (13.0) and field goal percentage (.697). Brittany Hedderson (12.3) and Jessica Fortman (10.0) are also averaging double figures for the Bulls. Fortman also leads the squad in assists with a 2.7 per game average.
ALL-TIME VS. THE BULLS: This will be the first-ever meeting between the Lady Lions and Buffalo Bulls. Penn State is 5-0 all-time against teams from the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
SCOUTING MAINE: The Black Bears are 1-2 on the season with a win over Central Connecticut State on their record. Amanda Tewksbury paces Maine with an 11.3 scoring average. She is also pulling down a team-best 8.3 rebounds per game. Samantha Wheeler is Maine's next-best offensive threat at 11.0 points per game.
ALL-TIME VS. THE BLACK BEARS: The Lady Lions and the Maine Black Bears have never met on the hardwood. Penn State is 5-1 all-time against teams from the America East, including a 97-58 win over Stony Brook last season.
SCOUTING HOLY CROSS: Holy Cross is 2-2 on the season with wins over Central Connecticut State and Bryant. The Crusaders have three players averaging 12.0 points or better in Whitney Fremeau (12.8), Briana McFadden (12.5) and Bethany O'Dell (12.0). Fremeau also tops Holy Cross in rebounds at a 7.0 per game clip.
ALL-TIME VS. THE CRUSADERS: Penn State is 2-0 all-time against Holy Cross. The teams last met in the first round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament where the Lady Lions posted a 64-33 win. PSU is 15-0 all-time against Patriot League schools.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY: The Lady Lions are vying for their 26th regular-season tournament title. Penn State is 119-48 all-time in 73 regular-season tourneys. The Lady Lions participated in the Timeout 4 HIV/AIDS Tournament at Pepperdine last season where they posted a 1-1 record. Penn State's last regular-season tournament title came in the WBCA Classic to open the 2008 season. The Lady Lions topped Arizona, Charlotte and Pitt at the Bryce Jordan Center.
GRANT IS 11TH TO 1,500: With 18 points at South Carolina on Nov. 22, senior Tyra Grant became the 11th player in school history to reach the 1,500-point plateau. She is now in 11th place with 1,511 career tallies. Grant will move into a tie with Vicki Link (1,514) for 10th place on the all-time list with three more points.
BENTLEY AND GRAY ROLLING: Zhaque Gray and Alex Bentley have been rolling offensively for the Lady Lions as the duo has reached double figures in each of the last three games. Gray is second on the team in scoring at a 10.0 per game clip, while Bentley is third on squad (9.0).
ON THE GLASS: The Lady Lions hauled in 55 rebounds at South Carolina Nov. 22. The 55 boards are the most for a Lady Lion team since they had 55 boards against Northwestern on Jan. 22, 2006. PSU has topped 40 caroms in every game this year.
The Lady Lions return to the friendly confines of 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.