Feb. 13, 2011
BLOOMINGTON, IND. - The #23/23 Penn State Lady Lions (21-6, 10-3) used a furious 18-5 run in the final six minutes of the game to erase a double-digit deficit en route to an 80-77 win over Indiana (9-16, 3-10) Sunday. Senior Julia Trogele (Devon, Pa.) found sophomore center Nikki Greene (Diboll, Texas) under the basket for the layup to give the Lady Lions a 78-77 lead with 40 seconds left. It was the first lead of the game for Penn State.
Trogele had a solid all-around performance as she was 7-for-8 form the field en route to 15 points, seven rebounds, a career-high 11 assists, four steals and two blocked shots. It was her fifth double-double of the season and the ninth of her career. Freshman guard Maggie Lucas (Narberth, Pa.) was stellar from long range as she knocked down six three-pointers to finish with 18 points. She also had three rebounds and a steal. Lucas passes former Lady Lion Kelly Mazzante for third place on Penn State's single season three-pointers chart with her 96th triple of the season. She also passed Mazzante for fourth place on the Big Ten's single-season chart.
Sophomore forward Mia Nickson (Ashburn, Va.) added 12 points, six rebounds and a steal, while sophomore guard Alex Bentley (Indianapolis, Ind.) contributed 12 points, eight assists and three steals to round out the double-digit scorers for the Lady Lions. Greene finished with eight points and seven rebounds.
It was high-paced first four minutes of the game as the two squads swapped scoring opportunities, but a four-point play by Jori Davis gave the Hoosiers a 12-9 lead heading into the first media timeout. Indiana, which shot a blazing 68.8% (11-for-16) from the field to start the game, went on a went on a 17-4 run following the first media timeout to take a 29-13 lead with 8:18 to play.
The Lady Lions started to rally with a pair of Lucas three-pointers sandwiched around a layup by Davis to cut the lead to 31-19 with seven minutes remaining. After a basket by Alisha Goodwin, Talia East (Philadelphia, Pa.) converted on a layup, Lucas drained her third three-pointer in less than three minutes and Nickson to make it a 33-26 game with five minutes to play.
Indiana continued to have the hot hand, going on a 7-2 run to extend their lead back to 12 points (40-28). The Lady Lions got within eight points on a pair of free throws by Nickson and a jumper by Trogele, but a three-pointer by Hope Elam with three seconds left in the half sent the Hoosiers into the break with a 43-32 lead.
Lucas led the Lady Lions with nine points, all on three-pointers. Nickson tallied eight points to go with three rebounds in the opening frame. Davis led all scorers with 15 points for Indiana, which shot 58.6% from the field in the first half.
The Lady Lions scored six of the first nine points to start the second half to cut the deficit to eight points (46-38), but five straight points by the Hoosiers put the lead back to 13 with 17:31 left in the game. After an exchange of scores, a three-pointer by Trogele and two free throws from Nickson made it a 53-45 game with 14:26 on the clock. However, five straight points by the Hoosiers put the lead back to 13 points (45-58) with less than 13 minutes remaining.
A 7-0 spurt by the Lady Lions cut the lead to just six points (58-52) with under 12 minutes to play, but the Hoosiers scored five consecutive points to stretch the lead back to 11 where the lead would remaining for the next minute and a half until a rebound and layup by Greene and a three-pointer by Bentley made it a 68-62 game with seven minutes to play.
Back-to-back scores by the Hoosiers restored the lead to double figures (72-62), but the Lady Lions would not go quietly. Bentley kicked off a 7-0 run for the Lady Lions to make it a one-possession game (72-69) with less than four minutes left. Trogele accounted for a layup and Lucas drained three-pointer during the run.
Indiana would score four of the game's next six points to stretch the lead back to five points, but Lucas nailed her sixth three-pointer of the day to make it a 76-74 game with 2:16 remaining. After Andrea McGuirt split a two-shot foul, Trogele came down and sank a jumper in the lane to make it a 77-76 game with 1:18 remaining.
On the ensuing Indiana possession, Trogele forced Whitney Lindsay into a turnover at the top of the three-point arc giving the Lady Lions the opportunity to take the lead for the first time in the game. After a timeout by head coach Coquese Washington, Trogele drove the lane and found Greene under the basket for the layup and the 78-77 lead with 40 seconds left. Elam's jumper fell short and Bentley pulled in the rebound to find a streaking Zhaque Gray (Chicago, Ill.) to give Penn State a three-point lead with seven seconds remaining. Lindsay's attempt fell short and the Lady Lions came away victorious.
GAME NOTES: Freshman guard Maggie Lucas moved into third place on Penn State's single-season three-pointers chart and fourth on the Big Ten's list with her 96th trey this season. She passes Kelly Mazzante on both lists ... Sophomore guard Alex Bentley surpassed the 100-steal plateau for her career. She now has 101 thefts in two seasons ... Junior guard Zhaque Gray reached the 500-point mark for her career with eight tallies today ... Senior guard/forward Julia Trogele had a career-high 11 assists, surpassing her previous career high of seven, which she set twice ... As a team, the Lady Lions move into second place on the Penn State single-season three-pointers list with 193, passing the 2003-04 squad (189) ... Penn State's seven road wins are the most since the 2003-04 squad had nine road victories.
The Lady Lions hit the road for a Big Ten Network game at Ohio State on Thursday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. Penn State is back in the Bryce Jordan Center after a bye date to face Purdue on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 7 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.