Nov. 27, 2010
Photo Gallery from the Caribbean Challenge
RIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO - The Penn State Lady Lions (6-1) had their long range shoes on Saturday as they hit 10 three-pointers, including seven treys by freshman Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) on the way to a 71-65 win over Hartford (1-6) in the final game of the Caribbean Challenge. With the win, the Lady Lions improve to 6-1 on the season and finish second in the Lagoon Division of the Caribbean Challenge.
Lucas was 7-for-12 from beyond the arc and finished the game with 17 points, three rebounds and two steals. Freshman Ariel Edwards (Elmont, N.Y.) notched the second double-digit scoring performance of her career with 13 points and a career-high eight rebounds, while sophomore guard Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.) added 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and six assists. Senior Julia Trogele (Devon, Pa.) accounted for seven points, seven rebounds and tied her career high with three blocks.
It was a firestorm from three-point range to start as 12 of the game's first 16 baskets were made from long range as the Hawks established a 25-12 lead with less than11 minutes left in the opening half. The Lady Lions were 5-for-7 to start the contest, including a 4-for-4 effort from Lucas, while Hartford was 7-for-9 from deep. Following a Hartford basket to make it 27-21, the Lady Lions got one free throw from Nikki Greene (Diboll, Texas), two freebies from Mia Nickson (Ashburn, Va.) and a three-pointer from Edwards to even the game at 27-27 with less than 10 minutes remaining.
The Hawks moved ahead with a basket by Daphne Elliott, but Penn State responded with a jumper by Gizelle Studevent (La Jolla, Calif.) and a steal and layup by Bentley to take a 31-29 lead. However, the Hawks scored the game's next four points to move ahead before Trogele scored and Edwards grabbed a rebound and went the length of the court for the layup to give Penn State a 35-33 lead with four minutes on the clock.
Hartford evened the score at 35-35 with a layup by Alex Hall on the Hawks' next possession. The Lady Lions retook the lead at 37-35 after Edwards and Studevent each went 1-for-2 from the free throw line, but Hartford's Mary Sylvia netted a jumper with 31 seconds left to even the score at 37-37.
Lucas led all scorers with 12 points in the opening frame, while Nickson and Edwards added six points each. Edwards also corralled five rebounds in the first half. After making a combined 13 three-pointers in the first 12 minutes of the half, neither team made a shot from long range in the final eight minutes of the period.
The Lady Lions came out strong in the second half with back-to-back baskets by Bentley and a three-pointer by Lucas that snapped a 12-minute drought from long range in the game to take a 44-37 lead in the first three and a half minutes. Following a bucket by Hartford's Nikkia Smith, Lucas drilled her sixth three-pointer of the game to push the lead to 47-39 with 15:47 left.
The squads exchanged scores over the next several possessions until the Hawks drained a three-pointer and a jumper to pull within three at 51-48 with 11:22 on the clock. Marisa Wolfe (Ford City, Pa.) made a strong move underneath for the layup and Trogele drove in for a layup of her own to push the Penn State lead back to seven points (55-48) with 10 minutes left to play. The Hawks scored the game's next give points to move within a possession, but Edwards ended the run with a three-pointer. Lucas extended the Penn State lead to 60-53 before Hartford scored four straight points to move within a possession with five minutes to play.
Lucas nailed her seventh three-pointer of the game to give the Lions a 63-57 lead, but the Hawks responded with a three of their own by Ilicia Mathis to move within three with four minutes left. A pair of free throws by Edwards stretched the lead back to five, but the Hawks immediately responded with a bucket of their own. With Penn State leading 67-62, Greene was tagged with an intentional foul, but the Hawks only made one of their two free throw attempts and the Lady Lions got the defensive stop on the ensuing Hartford possession to keep the game at 67-63 with two minutes left. Penn State salted away the game with a layup by Edwards and two free throws by Bentley. The Hawks closed out the scoring with a layup by Ruthanne Doherty with one second remaining.
GAME NOTES: The Lady Lions finished the Caribbean Challenge in second place with a 2-1 record in the Lagoon Division ... Wisconsin-Green Bay won the Lagoon Division with a perfect 3-0 record ... Freshman Maggie Lucas has a career-high 27 points, surpassing her previous personal best of 22 points against Rider on Nov. 14 ... Lucas made seven three-pointers making her the second Lady Lion to nail seven treys this season (Zhaque Gray vs. Dayton) ... Senior guard/forward Julia Trogele tied her career high with three blocked shots ... Freshman Ariel Edwards had a career-high eight rebounds, surpassing her previous high of six set against Utah on Thursday ... The Lady Lions wore their gray uniforms for the first time this season ... Penn State is now 6-1 all-time against America East teams.
Upon returning from Mexico, the Lady Lions will travel to Boston College of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Thurs., Dec. 2 before returning home to meet Texas Tech in the inaugural Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge on Sunday, Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. 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.