Dec. 28, 2010
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The Penn State Lady Lions (11-3) scored 40 points off of 34 Bucknell (2-8) turnovers en route to a 96-48 victory at the Bryce Jordan Center Tuesday. The Lady Lions finish the non-conference season with 11 wins, which is the highest total since the 1984-85 season when Penn State had 17 wins.
Freshman guard Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) paced five Lady Lions in double figures with 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting from three-point range. She also added five rebounds and two assists. Sophomore forward Mia Nickson (Ashburn, Va.) was 7-for-11 from the field en route to 18 points to go along with six rebounds and a career-best six steals. Sophomore guard Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.) scored all 16 of her points in the second half. She also pulled in five rebounds and dished out four assists.
Sophomore center Nikki Greene (Diboll, Texas) narrowly missed a double-double with 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Freshman guard Ariel Edwards (Elmont, N.Y.) also reached double figures with 13 points, three rebounds and two assists.
The Bison got on the board first with a jumper by Felicia Mgbada, but the Lady Lions responded with a 10-0 run that included six points from Greene to establish a 10-2 lead with less than 12 minutes left in the half. Following a pair of free throws by Bucknell's Rachel Voss, Nickson started a 9-0 run that featured a three-pointer by Lucas and two points each by Greene and Edwards to take a 19-4 lead with 10:47 left in the opening frame. The Bison struggled offensively to start the game, going 1-for-10 from the field with 10 turnovers in the first nine-plus minutes.
Following a Bison basket, Penn State clicked off a 9-0 run that included seven points by Edwards. Bucknell got a three-point play to close within 28-9 with 6:14 left, but Lucas went on a scoring rampage with five three-pointers in the final six minutes to lead Penn State on a 21-5 run to end the opening period. The Lady Lions led 49-16 at the break after holding the Bison to 23.1% shooting with 17 turnovers.
Lucas paced all scorers with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from three-point range. Greene had a solid opening half with 12 points and five rebounds, while Nickson added six points and four steals.
Much like the first half, Bucknell scored first in the second frame with a three-pointer by Shelby Romine, but the Lady Lions responded with a 12-0 run that featured nine points from Bentley to take a 61-19 lead with 17 minutes remaining in the game. Following a 5-2 spurt by Bucknell, Penn State responded with an 8-3 run to establish a 71-27 lead with less than 13 minutes to play.
The Lady Lions would extend the lead to 49 points at 82-33 with 9:28 on the clock on a basket by Bentley. Penn State would hold strong down the stretch, peaking at a 50-point lead (96-46) with 40 seconds left.
GAME NOTES: The Lady Lions' 11 non-conference wins is the most since the 1984-85 season (17 wins) ... Seven games with 95 points or more is the most since 1992-93, when the Lady Lions also had seven ... Senior Julia Trogele passed 100 steals for her Lady Lion career, finishing the night with two individual steals (101 career) ... Redshirt-sophomore Mia Nickson broke 200 career points with her 18-point night. She now has 204 career points (159 at Penn State) ... Nickson set a career high with six steals, breaking her previous career high of three (at Boston College on 12/2/10 and at Dayton on 11/12/10) ... Junior Renee Womack set a career high with four steals, breaking her previous career high of three (vs. Texas Tech, 12/5/10) ... Freshman Maggie Lucas scored in double digits (20 points) for the 13th time this year, all but one game of her career thus far ... Penn State now leads the series with Bucknell, 11-0.
The Lady Lions open Big Ten play by hosting Iowa on Thurs., Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. Fans will receive Lady Lion New Year's hats and tiaras while supplies last. 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.