Nov. 11, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The Penn State Lady Lions begin their 2010-11 season with a tough road test at Dayton on Friday at 7 p.m. The Flyers, who advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago, are receiving votes in both preseason polls.
RADIO: The game the game will be broadcast on WRSC locally with Jerry Fisher calling the action. The audio feed is available at www.GoPSUsports.com.
SCOUTING DAYTON: Dayton is receiving votes in both preseason polls after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 25-8 season. The Flyers return four starters, including leading scorer Justine Raterman (12.9 ppg) and rebounder Casey Nance (6.2 rpg).
ALL-TIME VS. THE FLYERS: Dayton claimed a thrilling 67-66 victory over the Lady Lions in the only previous meeting between the two teams on Dec. 6, 2008. Penn State is 131-18 all-time against current Atlantic 10 teams. Julia Trogele, Renee Womack and Zhaque Gray are the only members of the Lady Lions to have faced the Flyers.
LAST TIME VS. UD: The Flyers established an 11-point halftime lead, but had to fend off a half-court shot by Tyra Grant in a 67-66 win over the Lady Lions on Dec. 6, 2008. Janessa Wolff paced three Penn Staters in double figures with 17 points off of the bench.
LAST TIME OUT: The Lady Lions landed five players in double figures on the way to a 91-58 win over Gannon in exhibition play Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center. Sophomore Alex Bentley and red-shirt sophomore Mia Nickson accounted for 18 points each off of the bench. Junior Zhaque Gray knocked down all four of her three-point attempts en route to 14 points, while freshman Maggie Lucas added 14 tallies and senior Julia Trogele had 10 points. The Lions scored 33 points off of 28 Golden Knight turnovers.
OPENING DAY: The Lady Lions are 34-12 all-time in season opening games, including victories in each of the last four years. Additionally, Penn State is 26-20 all-time in road openers.
YOUTH WILL BE SERVED: The Lady Lions have a very young roster for the 2010-11 season with eight freshmen and sophomores on the squad. Headlining the list of returnees for the Lions are sophomore All-Big Ten choice Alex Bentley, senior guard/forward Julia Trogele and sophomore center Nikki Greene.
2011 RECRUITING CLASS: The Lady Lions signed Tori Waldner to a National Letter of Intent to play of the Lady Lions beginning in the 2011-12 season. The 6-5 center from Milton High School averaged 9.0 points and 7.2 rebounds for the Eagles. The native of Alpharetta, Ga. also rejected 5.0 shots per game. The Eagles finished the season with a 22-5 record and made it to the Region 6AAAAA Championship game. Waldner was named to the All-Region first team as a junior. Waldner plays her AAU ball with FBC Southeast Elite. She chose Penn State over Georgia, Indiana, Boston College, Georgia Tech and Old Dominion. Waldner also plays volleyball at Milton High School.
The Lady Lions return home to face Rider in their home opener on Sun., Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. Fans will receive a schedule magnet while supplies last and season ticket holders can bring a friend for just $1. 2010-11 Lady Lion Basketball Single-game tickets are available by calling 814-863-1000 or 800-NITTANY. The PNC Flex Books are available again this year for $99. The Flex Book gives fans 12 vouchers, including one for the Coaches vs. Cancer game and one for the Pink Zone game, that can be redeemed for Nittany Lion and Lady Lion Basketball tickets in any combination.
The 2011 WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State will take place on Sunday, Feb. 27 at noon as the Lady Lions take on Northwestern in the Bryce Jordan Center. The game can be seen on the Big Ten Network. Last year, the Lady Lions donated more than $80,000 for breast cancer causes. This year's fundraising efforts will benefit the Mount Nittany Medical Center, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital. For more information on the Pink Zone at Penn State, visit the official Pink Zone website at www.gopsusports.com/pinkzone. The WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State is also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pinkzoneatpennstate.
The Lady Lions are on Twitter. Follow sports information contact Kris Petersen (@ladylionsid) and the Lady Lions and coaches (@pennstatewbb) to get the inside scoop. The Lady Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstateladylions.