Nov. 8, 2009
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Junior Janessa Wolff (Park Rapids, Minn.) led three players in double figures with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting to lead the Penn State Lady Lions to a 67-49 win over IUP in an exhibition game Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Lady Lions had a solid defensive effort, forcing 26 turnovers and holding the Crimson Hawks to a 26.5% shooting percentage (13-49).
Wolff narrowly missed a double-double with a team-best nine rebounds to go along with her 11 points. Sophomore Zhaque Gray (Chicago, Ill.) added 10 points and three steals, while freshman Gizelle Studevent (La Jolla, Calif.) came off the bench to score 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Sophomore Emily Phillips (South Bend, Ind.) dished out nine assists to compliment her three points and one steal.
On the opening tip, Nikki Greene (Diboll, Texas) batted the ball to Julia Trogele (Devon, Pa.), who found a streaking Gray for an easy layup. However, IUP made its first three shots from the field to take a 6-2 lead just a minute and 14 seconds into the game. After a pair of free throws from Trogele, Gray knocked down a three-pointer and converted on a breakaway layup to give the Lions a 9-6 lead with just over 15 minutes left in the half.
Both offenses struggled to find a rhythm in the first half. The Lady Lions posted a 10-point (28-18) at halftime despite turning the ball over 16 times in the opening period. After the 3-for-3 start from the field, IUP was just 1-for-25 from the field in the final 18:46 of the half and turned the ball over 12 times. Gray led all scorers with seven first-half points, while Wolff added five tallies in the opening frame.
The Lady Lion lead remained at 10 points until Penn State went on an 8-2 run to take a 16-point lead. Phillips started the run with a three-pointer, which was then followed by a basket by the Crimson Hawks. The Lions responded immediately with a three-point play by Gray and basket by freshman Studevent to push the lead to 40-24 with 14 and a half minutes left in the game.
Studevent was on fire from the field, knocking down her first four shots from the field to help push the Lady Lion lead 18 points at the midway point of the second half. The Penn State lead held firm as team's exchanged baskets over the next several minutes. The Crimson Hawks made one final push with a brief 4-0 run to cut the Lady Lion lead to 15 points (59-44) with 3:24 remaining. However, freshman Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.) knocked down a jumper to stop the IUP run and the team's exchanged points the rest of the way to give Penn State the 18-point win.
The Lady Lions open the regular season at Drexel on Friday before returning home to face NJIT on Sunday at 2 p.m. 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 game against the Highlanders. 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.