Dec. 21, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - In a battle of the two top three-point shooting teams in the country, the fans at the Bryce Jordan Center saw exactly what they came for as the Penn State Lady Lions (10-3) and Drexel Dragons (7-2) combined for 19 makes from beyond the arc Tuesday night. However, it was the Dragons that had the upper hand, shooting 50% (13-26) from three-point range en route to an 84-73 win over Penn State. The loss snaps a four-game winning streak for the Lady Lions.
Freshman guard Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) continued her stellar play with her sixth 20-point game of the season. The rookie guard led four Lady Lions in double figures with 20 tallies to go along with two rebounds and two steals. Sophomore guard Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.) scored 12 of her 14 points after halftime and also dished out four assists and blocked two shots.
Sophomore guard Zhaque Gray (Chicago, Ill.) and sophomore center Nikki Greene (Diboll, Texas) added 10 points each in the loss. Senior guard/forward Julia Trogele (Devon, Pa.) also had a solid performance with nine points and seven rebounds. With her nine points, Trogele surpasses the 600-point mark for her career.
It was a see-saw battle to start with Drexel making their first three three-point attempts of the game on the way to an 11-10 advantage in the first four minutes of the game. The Lady Lions reeled of a 10-0 run thanks to five points from Gray, a three-pointer by Lucas and a bucket by Mia Nickson (Ashburn, Va.) to take a 20-11 lead with 12:23 left in the half. However, the Dragons kept the hot hand from outside as they clicked off a 10-0 run of their own over the next three minutes to retake the lead at 21-20.
The squads exchanged scores over the next several minutes until Drexel scored four consecutive points to pull ahead, 38-34 with less than three minutes left in the half. Penn State scored six of the game's next eight points with baskets by Gizelle Studevent (La Jolla, Calif.), Greene and Nickson to pull even at 40-40. Drexel's Taylor Wooten made one of two free throws with three seconds left to push the Dragons to the lead at the break, 41-40.
Both teams were on fire from the field with the Lady Lions shooting 56.7% (17-30) from the field and 44.4% (4-9) from three, while Drexel made 50% from both the field and long range. Lucas had a team-high 11 points on 4-of-7, while Nickson added eight points. Jasmina Rosseel had a game-high 12 points, all on three-pointers.
The Dragons picked up right where they left off in the opening half with a 13-0 run to start the second period to take a 54-40 lead with 15 minutes left. Penn State was scoreless for the first 5:10 of the second half until Trogele got the Lady Lions on the board with an old-fashioned three-point play. Lucas converted on a layup to get the Lions within nine at 54-45 with 14:34 on the clock.
Drexel would stretch the lead to 14 points (53-49) with 10:43 remaining after a 9-4 run. A 6-2 spurt for the Lady Lions that included four points from Bentley and a pair of Greene closed within 10 at 65-55 with just under eight minutes remaining. After an exchange of possessions, the Dragons went on an 8-0 run to take a commanding 18-point lead (75-57) with 4:14 left in the contest. Despite holding Drexel without a field goal for the final 6:09, the Dragons went 14-for-18 from the free throw line to keep the Lady Lions at arm's length.
GAME NOTES: The Lady Lions are now 3-1 all-time against Drexel ... Senior Julia Trogele surpassed the 600-point plateau for her career with nine tallies. She now has 602 points in her career ... Sophomore Alex Bentley reached the 200-assist mark for her career. She now has 201 career helpers.
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.