Dec. 17, 2010
Delaware Game Notes (12/19/10)
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - After taking a week off for final exams, the Penn State Lady Lions (9-2) return to the court to face Delaware (6-1) on Sunday, Dec. 19 at 2 p.m., at the Bryce Jordan Center. Fans can present their YMCA membership card or keytag at the box office for free tickets for the cardholder and their immediate family.
PROMOTION/GIVEAWAY: Sunday is YMCA Day at the Bryce Jordan Center. All fans can present their YMCA membership card or keytag at the box office for free tickets for the cardholder and their immediate family. Additionally, Big Ten Backpacks will be given out to the first 150 fans.
RADIO/LIVE STATS: The game is on the Penn State Sports Network and on ESPN 1450 locally with Jerry Fisher calling the action. The audio feed and GameTracker are available at www.GoPSUsports.com.
SCOUTING DELAWARE: The Blue Hens are 6-1 on the season and are playing their first game since Dec. 5 when they defeated Navy. Delaware is home to the NCAA's leading scorer in Elena Delle Donne, who accounts for 26.2 points per game. She is also contributing 7.3 rebounds per outing. Danielle Parker is nearly averaging a double-double with 9.7 points and 10.7 rebounds. Delaware's lone loss came to Princeton in a game that Delle Donne missed due to illness.
ALL-TIME VS. THE BLUE HENS: The Lady Lions are 5-1 all-time against Delaware, including wins in the last four contests. However, the squads have not met since Nov. 29, 1991 when Penn State earned a 97-53 win at the Texaco-Hawk Classic in Philadelphia. The Lady Lions are 1-1 against Delaware in home games with the last game in Happy Valley taking place on Feb. 16, 1979. This game marks the first of two-straight games against Colonial Athletic Association teams for the Lions. Penn State is 17-13 all-time against CAA foes.
LAST TIME VS. UD: The last time Penn State faced Delaware was on Nov. 29, 1991 as part of the Texaco-Hawk Classic in Philadelphia. The Lady Lions were victorious by a 97-53 count, led by Kathy Phillips' career-high 35 points and 14 rebounds. Susan Robinson added 12 points and Carla Coleman chipped in 11 tallies.
LAST TIME OUT: The Lady Lions used a solid shooting performance and stingy first-half defense for a convincing 95-41 win over Maine Dec. 12 at the Bryce Jordan Center. Maggie Lucas posted her fifth 20-point game of the season with 22 tallies to lead the Lady Lion charge. Lucas was 8-for-12 from the field, including four three-pointers. She also pulled in four rebounds, had two steals and dished out two assists. Nikki Greene tallied her fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 14 rebounds. She also recorded three blocks and tied her career high with four steals.
LUCAS CLIMBS THREE-POINT CHART: Just 10 games into her freshman season, Maggie Lucas moved into the Top 5 on Penn State's freshman season three-pointers list. With a pair of treys against Army on Dec. 8, she moved past Jess Brungo for fifth place on the rookie chart. With 35 three-pointers this year, Lucas is four treys away from tying Tyra Grant for fourth-place on the list.
PSU FRESHMAN THREE-POINTERS LIST
| 1. | 65 | (65-176) | Kelly Mazzante, 2000-01 |
| 2. | 52 | (52-157) | Lisa Shepherd, 1997-98 |
| 3. | 42 | (42-106) | Jess Strom, 2001-02 |
| 4. | 39 | (39-120) | Tyra Grant, 2006-07 |
| 5. | 35 | (35-80) | Maggie Lucas, 2010-11 |
RECORD FOR 10+ THREE-POINT GAMES: The Lady Lions have had six games with 10 three-pointers or more this season, which breaks the school record for games with 10 or more three-pointers. The previous mark was four games with 10 or more threes set by the 2000-01 team.
SIX 95+ GAMES: The Lady Lions tallied their sixth game with 95 points or more this season with a 95-41 win over Maine Dec. 12. It is the most 95-point games since the 1992-93 campaign when the Lady Lions had seven games with 95 points or more. The six games with 95 or more points is more 95 points performances than the last eight years combined.
LEADING THE NATION FROM DEEP: The Lady Lions lead the NCAA in three-point field goal percentage with a 47.6% mark. As a team, Penn State is 10th in three-pointers made per game (8.3). Additionally, Zhaque Gray is the nation's top individual three-point shooter with a .526 mark, while Maggie Lucas is ninth in shots made from beyond the arc (3.2).
NON-CON WINS: The Lady Lions have won nine non-conference games this year, their highest non-con win total since the 2007-08 campaign when they also tallied nine wins. The nine non-conference wins are the fourth-most in school history.
LADY LION NON-CONFERENCE HIGHEST WIN TOTALS
17 (17-3) - 1984-85
10 (10-4) - 2002-03
10 (10-9) - 1983-84
9 - Seven Times (last 2010-11)
LIONS AMONG NCAA LEADERS: Penn State's impressive offensive start to the season has landed the Lady Lions in the Top 25 in the country in several offensive categories. PSU's offense is sixth in the Division I at an 87.8 per game pace, while its .470 field goal percentage is 14th in the NCAA. Penn State is also 25th in the country in scoring margin (19.3). Individually, Alex Bentley is 12th in assists (6.0) and Maggie Lucas is eighth in free throw percentage (.938).
LUCAS TIES BIG TEN FRESHMAN AWARD RECORD: Guard Maggie Lucas took home her fourth-straight Big Ten Freshman of the Week award on Dec. 13 and in the process tied the conference record for Freshman of the Week accolades in a season. She equals the mark of four freshman laurels set by Iowa's Jaime Printy and Illinois' Karisma Penn each claimed four awards last year. The Freshman of the Week award was introduced during the 2009-10 season. Lucas accounted for 21.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals in a pair of wins for the Lady Lions last week. The rookie guard started the week by going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line en route to 20 points in a win over Army on Dec. 8. She also pulled in a career-high eight rebounds to go along with four steals. In the Dec. 12 win over Maine, Lucas was 8-for-12 from the field, including four three-pointers, en route to game-best 22 points for her fifth 20-point game of the season. She also pulled in four rebounds and tallied a pair of steals against the Black Bears.
The Lady Lions are back in action at the Bryce Jordan Center on Tues., Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m., against Drexel. The game is part of a men's and women's doubleheader with the Nittany Lions taking on Maine at 5 p.m. Following a break for the holidays, the Lady Lions will face Bucknell at the BJC on Tues., Dec. 28 at 7 p.m., before hosting Iowa on Thurs., Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. in their Big Ten opener. 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.