Dec. 8, 2010
Final Stats | Quotes | Photo Gallery 
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The Penn State Lady Lions (8-2) turned in a dominating performance on the way to a 95-65 victory over Army (3-6) Wednesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center. Redshirt sophomore Mia Nickson (Ashburn, Va.) posted her second-straight 20-point game with 23 tallies to go along with five rebounds and two steals. All 10 players scored at least four points for the Lady Lions, who shot 49.3% (34-69) on the game and registered 15 steals on 20 turnovers.
Nickson was 8-for-13 from the field and 7-for-7 from the free throw line. She also tied her career high with two assists. Freshman guard Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) came off of the bench to register her fourth 20-point game with 20 tallies, including a 10-for-10 effort from the free throw line. Lucas pulled in a career-high eight rebounds and tied her personal best with four steals.
Senior guard/forward Julia Trogele (Devon, Pa.) posted her third double-double of the season with 11 points via a 5-for-7 shooting effort and 11 rebounds. She also accounted for six assists and three steals. Sophomore Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.) also reached double figures with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
The Lady Lions got on the board first with a layup by Bentley off of a pass from Nickson, but the Black Knights responded with a bucket of their own on the ensuing possession. Trogele and Nikki Greene (Diboll, Texas) sandwiched a three-pointer and layup, respectively, around an Army basket to give Penn State a 7-4 lead with 17:46 remaining.
After a three-point play by Erin Anthony, Nickson registered back-to-back old-fashioned three-point plays to start a 12-0 run for the Lady Lions. Sophomore forward Marisa Wolfe (Ford City, Pa.) contributed a layup, Lucas added two free throws and Nickson capped the run with a layup to give the Lions a 19-7 lead with less than 14 minutes to play in the half. The Black Knights bounced back with a 7-2 run to close within seven (21-14) with 11:29 remaining.
Nickson converted on a layup and Trogele took a steal coast-to-coast for the layup to push the lead back to 11 (25-14). Following a pair of Army buckets, Penn State went on an 11-0 run, led by Bentley with four points, Gray with a three-pointer and Nickson and Lucas with two points each, to take a game-high 18-point lead (36-18) with less than seven minutes to play.
Army would not go away with a 12-4 run to close within 10 points at 40-30 with less than four minutes remaining in the half. After an exchange of scores, Lucas drained four consecutive free throws to push the lead to 14 markers (46-32). However, the Black Knights scored three consecutive points before Trogele closed out the scoring for the half with a layup to send Penn State into the break with a 48-35 lead.
Nickson led Penn State with 14 points and two rebounds, while Lucas came off of the bench to score eight points, six of which came from the free throw line. Trogele had a solid opening half with seven points, five rebounds and three assists. Penn State shot 55.9% (19-34) in the opening frame. Anthony led all scorers with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting.
The Lady Lions came out with a renewed defensive vigor to start the second half as they held the Black Knights without a basket for the first 6:46 of the second frame. Meanwhile the Penn State offense continued to plug away, scoring 18 consecutive points before allowing an Army basket to establish a 66-35 lead. Lucas scored seven points in the opening six-plus minutes and Renee Womack (Lansdale, Pa.) added four points during the opening run.
Following the first Army basket of the second half, the Lady Lions got back-to-back three-pointers by Ariel Edwards (Elmont, N.Y.) and Lucas to push the lead to 72-37 with 12:33 left. Penn State would stretch it to 36 points (76-40) on a Bentley layup at the 11:26 mark, but the Black Knights would get no closer than 28 points for the remainder of the game as the Lady Lions secured the win.
GAME NOTES: Maggie Lucas had a career-high eight rebounds and tied her career-high with four steals ... Julia Trogele had 11 points and 11 rebounds for her seventh career double-double ... Mia Nickson had her second straight game with 20 or more points, netting 23 ... Penn State improves to 1-0 vs. Army ... Penn State turned in its sixth game with 90 or more points this season on Wednesday. The six games with 90 or more points are the most since the 2000-01 season, when the Lady Lions also had six ... All 10 players in action tonight scored at least four points for the Lady Lions ... The eight non-conference wins are the most for the Lady Lions since the 2007-08 season, when they had nine ... As part of Military Appreciation Night, there were 150 ROTC students in attendance.
The Lady Lions continue their seven-game homestand when they host Maine on Sunday, Dec. 12 at noon. It's Toys for Tots day and any fan presenting a new, unwrapped toy will get a free ticket to the game. 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.