Feb. 25, 2010
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.; Wisconsin (20-8, 10-7) shot 75% in the first half and 57.7% (30-52) for the game on the way to a 71-39 victory over the Penn State Lady Lions (16-11, 8-9) on Senior Night at the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State was held to its fewest points since scoring 35 points in a 60-35 loss to Slippery Rock on March 11, 1976.
Senior Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio) scored all 15 of her points in the second half in her final regular season game at the Jordan Center. She also notched three steals against the Badgers. Freshman Nikki Greene (Diboll, Texas) accounted for 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting, seven rebounds and a blocked shot, while sophomore Emily Phillips (South Bend, Ind.) tied her career high with nine points off of the bench.
The Badgers shot lights out in the opening half, hitting 75% (18-24) of their shots and establishing a 40-13 lead at the half. Greene scored a majority of Penn State's first-half points with seven tallies. For the second time this season, Wisconsin shutout Grant in the first half. The Lady Lions had twice as many turnovers (12) as they had field goals (6) in the opening frame.
Penn State started strong in the second half with a bucket by Greene. Following one free throw from Alyssa Karel, Grant went on a personal 7-0 run to cut it to a 19-point lead (41-22) with 16:34 to play. However, the Badgers fought back with four consecutive tallies to push their lead back to 45-22 with 15 minutes left.
Grant scored the game's next three points to make it a 20-point deficit for Penn State, but Wisconsin responded with an 8-1 run to make it a 53-26 game with less than nine minutes remaining. Grant continued to carry the Lions with four-straight points, but the Badgers pulled away with an 18-9 run over the final 6:19 of the game.
GAME NOTES: Seniors Nicole Arcidiacono, Tyra Grant, Meredith Monroe and Meggan Quinn were honored before the game for Senior Night...Senior Nicole Arcidiacono recorded her fourth career start for the Lady Lions and her second of the season...The Lady Lions scored just 13 points in a half for the first time since they notched 13 tallies in the first half against the Connecticut in the NCAA Elite Eight on 3/29/04...Senior Tyra Grant extended her double-digit scoring streak to 39 consecutive games...Penn State's 39 points was its lowest scoring output since the Lions scored 35 at home against Slippery Rock on 3/11/76...Penn State's 32-point loss was its largest loss since it lost at Michigan by 39 points (98-59) on 2/14/97...Senior Tyra Grant is 40 points away from becoming the fourth Lady Lion to score 2,000 career points...Sophomore Emily Phillips tied her career-high with nine points.
The Lady Lions travel to Indiana for the regular-season finale on Sunday at 4 p.m. The game can be seen live on the Big Ten Network with Tracy Warren and Theresa Grentz calling the action.
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.