Jan. 10, 2010
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The Penn State Lady Lions (11-4, 3-2) let an 11-point second-half lead slip away, but hit on 10-of-12 free throws in overtime to earn a 77-71 win over Indiana (9-7, 2-3) Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Lions snap a three-game losing streak to the Hoosiers. All 10 players that entered the game for Penn State scored, led by Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio), who moved into sixth place on Penn State's all-time scoring list with a game-high 27 points.
Grant passes Angie Potthoff (1,725) on the all-time scoring list with 1,739. She also accounted for six rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot. Junior Julia Trogele (Devon, Pa.) posted her second double-double of the season and the fourth of her career with a personal-best 18 points and 11 rebounds. Trogele was 14-for-15 from the free throw line, both of which were career marks. She also registered three steals.
Freshman Nikki Greene (Diboll, Texas) also had a solid all-around performance with three points, 11 rebounds and a career-best five blocks in 19 minutes. Senior Meredith Monroe (Olney, Md.) added four points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals, while junior Janessa Wolff (Park Rapids, Minn.) chipped in six tallies and five boards off of the bench.
The Lady Lions scored the first six points of the game with a pair of buckets by Grant and a jumper by Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.) in the first three minutes of the game. Indiana chipped away and pulled within two points (12-10) with 12:46 remaining, but the Lions went on a 6-0 run with two points by Bentley and four tallies from Grant to take an 18-10 lead with less than 10 minutes to go in the opening half.
The Hoosiers continued to fight with a 7-0 run to pull within a single point (18-17) with just under six minutes to play, but the Lady Lions stretched the lead back to six points (23-17) on a basket by Gizelle Studevent (La Jolla, Calif.) and a three-point play by Trogele with 5:14 on the clock. Another Indiana 6-0 run enabled the Hoosiers to tie the game at 23-23 with four minutes left in the half. The squads swapped scoring opportunities until back-to-back buckets by Ashlee Mells and Jamie Braun gave the Hoosiers their first lead of the game at 29-28 with 1:42 left in the half. Monroe rounded out the first-half scoring with a layup off of a Zhaque Gray (Chicago, Ill.) pass with 42 second remaining to give Penn State the 30-29 lead at the break.
Grant led the Lady Lions with 10 points in the opening frame, while Greene has eight rebounds and four blocked shots. Gray accounted for five points and Bentley chipped in four points in seven minutes while being saddled with three fouls. Jori Davis paced Indiana with nine points.
The Lady Lions continued their solid play with a 6-2 run to start the second half and give the Lady Lions a 38-31 lead with 16:40 left in the game, forcing Indiana to take a timeout to stop the run. Grant started the run with a pair of free throws and capped the run with a fastbreak layup off of a Bentley pass, while Monroe and Wolff added two points each during the spurt.
Following a Jamie Braun basket, Wolff converted on a layup to jumpstart a 6-0 Lady Lion run. Marisa Wolfe (Ford City, Pa.) added a jumper and Wolff grabbed her own rebound and put it back to give the Lady Lions their largest lead of the game at 44-33 with 14:45 left in the game. However, the Hoosiers would not go quietly, scoring the game's next five points to slice the Penn State lead to six points (44-38) with less than 12 minutes to play.
The Lions would score four of the game's next six points, but Indiana fought back with a 14-4 run of their own to take a 54-52 lead with 5:37 on the clock. The teams exchanged scores for the next four and a half minutes until Trogele made a pair of free to give the Lady Lions a 62-59 lead with 19 seconds remaining. However, Davis was fouled on her three-point attempt with 13 seconds remaining and knocked down all three free throws to tie the game at 62-62. The Lady Lions had two chances to win the game in the final moments, but a pair of Grant jumpers did not find the bottom of the net.
After a scoreless start to the overtime, Braun broke the ice with a layup, but the Lady Lions took charge and never looked back with a 9-0 run to take a 71-64 lead with 29 seconds left. Bentley started the run with a jumper and Grant added a three-pointer to put the Lions in command. Penn State got two free throws from Trogele and one free throw each from Grant and Greene during the run. Penn State secured the win by making 6-of-6 free throws in the final 20 seconds.
GAME NOTES: The Lady Lions register their 11th win of the season, equaling their total from a year ago...Penn State improves to 25-8 all time against Indiana and snaps a three-game losing streak to the Hoosiers...The Lions are now 14-2 at home against Indiana...Tyra Grant's 27 points marked her 34th career 20-point game...Grant moves past Angie Potthoff for sixth place on Penn State's all-time scoring list with 1,739 points...Penn State improves to 2-0 this year in overtime, with their first OT victory coming on December 28th against Iowa...Penn State last won two overtime games in one season during the 1997-98 campaign when they won three games in overtime...Julia Trogele recorded her fourth career double-double with a career-best 18 points and 11 rebounds...Penn State improves to 6-0 this season when scoring 70 or more points...Nikki Greene blocked a personal-best five shots.
The Lady Lions travel to Iowa on Thursday, before returning to the Bryce Jordan Center on Sunday, Jan. 17 to face Michigan State at 1 p.m. on Autograph Day. The Subway Full Court Four-Pack is available for the Michigan State game. The deal includes four game tickets, four sodas and four vouchers for a 6" Subway sub at any State College location (BJC excluded) for just $40. 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 hold several camps throughout the summer. There is a Lady Lion Basketball Camp available for girls of all ages, ranging from shooting camp to elite camp. The 2010 Lady Lion Basketball Camp schedule is as follows: Shooting Camp (June 13-15), Elite Camp (June 20-22), Skills Camp (June 20-23), Total Package Team Camp (June 24-26) and Games Galore Team Camp (August 6-8). For more information on Lady Lion Basketball Camps, please visit psusportscamps.com and click on Lady Lion Basketball Camp.
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.