Feb. 15, 2011
Ohio State Game Note (2/17/11)
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The #23/25 Penn State Lady Lions (21-6, 10-3) close out the road portion of their regular-season schedule when they travel to Columbus to face Ohio State (15-9, 6-6) Thursday night at 7 p.m. The game will be televised live on the Big Ten Network with Tom Hart and Mary Murphy calling the action.
TELEVISION: The game will be televised live on the Big Ten Network with Tom Hart and Mary Murphy describing play.
RADIO/GAMETRACKER: The game is on WRSC locally with Jerry Fisher calling the action. The audio feed and a link to GameTracker are available at www.GoPSUsports.com.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes are 15-9 overall and 6-6 in Big Ten play after wins over Purdue and Minnesota last week. Jantel Lavender averages a double-double for Ohio State with a 22.6 scoring mark and 10.9 rebounding clip. She has also blocked a team-best 45 shots. Samantha Prahalis accounts for 13.8 points per outing and leads the Big Ten in assists with a 6.9 average. Tayler Hill (12.8) and Brittany Johnson (10.9) are also averaging double-digits for the Buckeyes.
ALL-TIME VS. THE BUCKEYES: The Lady Lions are 31-19 all-time against Ohio State with an 11-8 mark in games in Columbus. Penn State has not won in Columbus since Jan. 24, 2004 (70-64), a string of five games. The Lady Lions snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Buckeyes with an 80-71 win at the BJC on Jan. 30. PSU is going for its first two-game season sweep of the Buckeyes since the 2000-01 season.
LAST TIME VS. OSU: The Lady Lions used a balanced offensive attack that saw five players reach double figures as Penn State upset #23/24 Ohio State, 80-71, Jan. 30. Sophomore guard Alex Bentley led the Penn State attack with 21 points and seven assists. The win snapped Penn State's 11-game losing streak against the Buckeyes, dating back to Dec. 30, 2005. Maggie Lucas was 6-for-8 from three-point range en route to 18 points. Nikki Greene posted her second-straight double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.
LAST TIME OUT: The Lady Lions 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 Sunday. Senior Julia Trogele found sophomore center Nikki Greene under the basket for the layup to give the Lady Lions a 78-77 lead with 40 seconds left. 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. Freshman guard Maggie Lucas 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.
HISTORIC COMEBACK: The Lady Lions trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half and overcame a 10-point deficit with six minutes left in an 80-77 win at Indiana Feb. 13. The comeback is tied for the second-largest in school history, equalling the 16-point first half comeback against East Stroudsburg Feb. 10, 1976. The largest comeback in program history was 17 points against Wisconsin Jan. 22, 2009.
MAGS CLOSING IN ON NCAA CHART: Freshman guard Maggie Lucas is closing in on the NCAA freshman season three-pointers top 5 with 96 three-pointers this season. She needs four triples to move into a tie with Bethune-Cookman's Keturah Newkirk (2006) for fifth place on the list. Additionally, Lucas is currently fourth in freshman three-point field goals per game with a 3.55 mark. She also needs 14 three-pointers to move into the Top 15 on the NCAA's single-season three-pointers list.
JT'S ALL-AROUND EFFORT: Senior guard/forward Julia Trogele filled every part of the stat sheet in the comeback win at Indiana Feb. 13. Trogele posted her fifth double-double of the season and ninth of her career with 15 points and a career-best 11 assists. She also pulled in seven rebounds, had four steals and two blocked shots. Trogele is the first Lady Lion to have a double-digit assist game since Brianne O'Rourke had 13 helpers in a win over Coppin State on Nov. 29, 2008.
ZHA & ALEX HIT MARKS: Junior guard Zhaque Gray and sophomore guard Alex Bentley each reached milestones in the Feb. 13 win over Indiana. Gray became the 59th player in school history to reach 500 points with eight tallies against the Hoosiers. Bentley nabbed her 100th career steal to become the 41st player in school history with 100 thefts.
BIG TEN WINS: With the 80-77 come-from-behind win at Indiana Feb. 13, the Lady Lions picked up their ninth Big Ten win of the year, which gives Penn State the most wins in conference play since the 2004-05 squad won 13 contests.
LADY LIONS IN THE POLLS: The Lady Lions are ranked 23rd in the Associated Press poll and 25th in the ESPN/USA Today coach poll this week. When the Lady Lions returned to the poll on Feb. 14, it marked the first appearance for Penn State in the Associated Press Top 25 since claiming the 23rd spot in the Jan. 25, 2010 poll. Additionally, the Lady Lions return to the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll for the first time since the March 14, 2005 poll that placed them 25th.
After a bye date, the Lady Lions return to the Bryce Jordan Center for their final two regular season games. Penn State meets Purdue on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m., where Chesapeake Energy customers can purchase tickets for $5. The Lady Lions close out the regular season with their Annual WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State game against Northwestern on Sunday, Feb. 27 at noon. Penn State will donate $3 from every single-game ticket sold to the fundraising efforts. 2010-11 Lady Lion Basketball Single-game tickets are available by calling 814-863-1000 or 800-NITTANY.
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.