Jan. 29, 2010
Michigan Game Notes (1/28/10) |
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - After coming up short in an overtime bid to extend their winning streak, the No. 23 Penn State Lady Lions (15-5, 7-3) travel to Michigan (12-8, 4-6) Sunday to face the Wolverines at 1 p.m. The Lions have picked up two consecutive wins over Michigan and are 24-8 all-time against the Wolverines. The game will be streamed live on BigTenNetwork.com for $2.99.
RADIO/WEB: The game is on WRSC with Jerry Fisher and Stacey Brewer calling the action. The audio feed is available at www.GoPSUsports.com. The contest will also be available on BigTenNetwork.com via a live video stream for $2.99.
LAST TIME OUT: The Lady Lions made a valiant comeback in the final five minutes of regulation to force overtime, but could not control the extra frame in an 80-76 loss to Purdue Thursday. The loss snaps Penn State's six-game winning streak and is the eighth consecutive loss to the Boilermakers for the Lady Lions. Freshman Alex Bentley accounted for 22 of her career-high 27 points in the second half and overtime. Bentley also dished out six assists and pulled in five rebounds in the loss. Senior guard Tyra Grant had another solid all-around game with 26 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Freshman center Nikki Greene accounted for nine points, eight rebounds and a career-high seven blocks against the Boilermakers.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN: The Wolverines are 12-8 overall and 4-6 in Big Ten play. Carmen Reynolds leads three Michigan players averaging double figures with a 13.3 scoring mark. Veronica Hicks accounts for 12.8 points and 3.0 assists per game, while Dayeesha Hollins dishes out a team-best 3.6 assists per game to go along with her 12.4 scoring average.
ALL-TIME VS. THE WOLVERINES: Penn State is 24-8 all-time against the Wolverines, including an 11-4 mark in Ann Arbor. The Lady Lions swept Michigan last season with a 76-58 win at the Bryce Jordan Center on Jan. 4 and a 64-56 victory in Ann Arbor on Feb. 9. Tyra Grant paced the Lions in the win at Michigan last year with 15 points, including going 6-for-6 from the free throw line down the stretch.
LAST TIME VS. MICHIGAN: The Penn State Lady Lions used a balanced scoring attack to earn a 64-56 victory at Michigan on Feb. 9. The Lions had six players with eight or more points, led by Tyra Grant's 15 points. Grant was solid down the stretch as she was 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final five seconds. Julia Trogele was impressive as she accounted for 11 points and eight rebounds.
TWO WITH 25+: Freshman guard Alex Bentley and senior guard Tyra Grant scored 27 and 26 points, respectively in the Jan. 28 overtime loss to Purdue. It was the first time since Jan. 9, 2003 that the Lady Lions have had two players score 25 points or more in a game. In that game, Kelly Mazzante tallied 37 points and Tanisha Wright had 27 in an 86-56 win over Iowa.
BENTLEY KEEPS MOTORING: Freshman guard Alex Bentley scored 22 of her career-high 27 points in the second half and overtime in the loss to Purdue on Jan. 28. Bentley also accounted for Penn State's final seven points in regulation. She was 12-for-22 from the field on the game, setting personal marks for both field goals made and field goals attempted.
SWATTING THE BALL: Freshman Nikki Greene paced the Lady Lions with a career-high seven blocks against Purdue on Jan. 28. The Lions rejected 11 Boilermaker shots, the most blocks by a Penn State team since an 11-swat performance against Ohio State on Jan. 11, 2007. This is the second double-digit block performance of the season for the Lady Lions after accumulating 10 block against Indiana on Jan. 10. The last time that Penn State had multiple double figure block games in a season was 2001-02 campaign when the Lady Lions had three double-digit block performances behind the play of Rashana Barnes.
EXTRA TIME: For the third time in five Big Ten home games, the Lady Lions had to play an extra five minutes. After a pair of OT wins, the Lady Lions came up on the short end of an 80-76 loss to Purdue on Jan. 28. Previously, the Lady Lions earned a 77-71 win over Indiana on Jan. 10 and the 77-73 victory over Iowa on Dec. 28. It is the first time since the 2006-07 season that the Lady Lions have played three OT games in a season. Penn State has two overtime wins in a season for the first time since the 1997-98 campaign.
GREENE IS A BLOCKING MACHINE: Freshman Nikki Greene has been a dominating defensive presence in the post. With a career-high seven rejections against Purdue, Greene became the first Lady Lion freshman since Reicina Russell (2003-04) to reach the 40-rejection plateau and just the second Penn State freshman overall. She is currently second on Penn State's freshman season blocks list with 40 rejections.
The Lady Lions travel to Michigan State on Thurs., Feb. 4, before returning to the Bryce Jordan Center for a Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 7) meeting with No. 4/6 Ohio State at 1 p.m. The Ohio State game is a Subway Full Court Four Pack game where fans can get four tickets, four sodas and a voucher for four 6" Subway subs (offer not valid the BJC Subway) for $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 took place on Sunday, Jan. 24 when the Lady Lions take on Illinois in the Bryce Jordan Center. The first three Pink Zone events have raised more than $80,000 for breast cancer awareness. This year's fundraising efforts will benefit Mount Nittany Medical Center, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition and the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. For more information or to donate online to 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.